Set back on an 11-acre property in Surrey is the faded-brick Arts and Crafts house that once belonged to the influential British horticulturalist, garden designer and writer, Gertrude Jekyll VMH, Munstead Wood. Gertude was the first woman to be awarded the Royal Horticultural Society's Victoria Medal of Honour – the most prominent of awards for British horticulturalists – following an illustrious career during which she “transformed horticultural practice and inspired others to become gardeners through her books and more than 1,000 articles,” says the National Trust. Designed by her frequent collaborator Sir Edward Lutyens, the house is a charming emblem of classic English Arts and Crafts design and, thanks to Gertrude's own talents in gardening and floriculture, the house's garden is a “horticultural gem.”
Gertude lived at Munstead Wood from the 1890s until her death in 1932; during her time at the estate, she experimented greatly with her garden design, planting seasonal blooms and painstakingly designing a woodland garden which, per the National Trust, “remains a fine example of her approach to artistic ‘wild gardening’,” a practice for which she is especially known, and which is firmly back in fashion today. Also in the gardens of Munstead Wood, Gertrude introduced a minimum of 30 new varieties of plants to Britain, most of which remain stalwarts in many gardens across the nation today.
Following an announcement that Munstead Wood would go up for private sale, the National Trust (with the support from HM Government) acquired the internationally important property. Now, Munstead Wood will undergo a comprehensive restoration in partnership with the local community and other partners, after which the Surrey estate will open to the public to take in and experience the beautiful house, gardens and their respective histories. Archive photos and drawings of the garden will be used in the garden's restoration. “I'm delighted that we have had the opportunity to acquire this special place,” says Hilary McGrady, the Director General of the National Trust, “[It] has such strong connections to garden and building design history. The survival of both house and garden offers an extraordinary chance to tell the story of the house and garden, and Jekyll's enormous impact, inspiring a new generation of gardeners and nature lovers.”
