Deanery Garden, The, Sonning, Reading, England

The following is from the English Heritage Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest. 

An early 20th century house by Edwin Lutyens surrounded by a contemporary formal and informal garden by Lutyens, with planting plans by Gertrude Jekyll.

DESCRIPTION

LOCATION, AREA, BOUNDARIES, LANDFORM, SETTING

Deanery Garden lies at the centre of Sonning village, 4 kilometres north-east of the centre of Reading. The 0.75 hectare garden is bounded to the north, east and south by the broad, 16th century brick wall with brick coping (Listed Grade II) which enclosed the orchard which occupied the site before 1900. To the north, east and along the eastern half of the south boundary, the site is bounded by village lanes, and to the south-west by the parish churchyard. The west side is partly bounded by a later brick wall, and beyond this village gardens. The ground slopes down from the north boundary to the south-west, with views of the church tower to the south-west. The garden is set within the picturesque village of Sonning, above the River Thames which passes about 150 metres to the west.

REFERENCES

Country Life, 13 (9 May 1903), pp 602-610; 141 (12 January 1967), p 54; no 34 (26 August 1993), pp 46-9

L Weaver, Houses and gardens by E L Lutyens (1913), pp 53-61

N Pevsner, The Buildings of England: Berkshire (1966), pp 220-1

J Brown, Gardens of a Golden Afternoon (1982), pp 66-9

J Brown, The English Garden in our Time (1986), pp 54-6

Archival items

Copies of Jekyll's planting plans are held on microfiche at the National Monuments Record (originals held at Reef Point, USA).

Sale particulars, 1907 (Reading Local Studies Library)

Sale particulars, 1929 (Reading Local Studies Library)

Description written: September 1998

Amended: September 1999

Edited: March 2000