Legh Manor, (also known as Little Ease and Leigh Manor), Ansty, England

Both Godfrey (1976) and Waterville (1931) refer to the ‘beautiful' and ‘charming' garden laid out by Lady Chance. It was she who rescued it from 'a wilderness'. She was helped, at least in the more formal part by her friend, Gertrude Jekyll, who had designed the gardens for her at 'Orchards'. Miss Jekyll prepared some designs for the garden which have recently come to light and are lodged in the Surrey History Centre in Woking. The plans date from 1918.

The Jekyll plans, entitled Proposed Formal Garden at Leigh Manor, show an area of 55 feet by 70 feet, orientated east/west. There is a central grassed walk with flower beds, two deep each side, leading to a circular feature, and the whole is surrounded by hedging. The beds adjacent to the central walk are herbaceous, planted with white, grey and blue flowering plants. The outer beds have roses, twenty two per bed. The plan itself may not be complete as there is an open area to the west which might have been intended to be a second garden.

Lady Chance (1938) says 'The small pleasure grounds were found in a chaotic condition in 1918, but with the help of that great gardener, Miss Gertrude Jekyll, they have been gradually brought into order during the twenty years since the work of re-organizing was started'. It is not known to what extent Gertrude Jekyll 'helped'. The only evidence is the existence of the proposed plans. Miss Jekyll was 75 in 1918 but lived until 1932 so well might have provided more written advice. It is doubtful that she ever visited Legh Manor. The photograph Legh Manor from the South West (Lady Chance, 1938) with its herbaceous planted flower beds and surrounding hedge may well show part of a Jekyll-inspired garden.

Lady Chance (Wolseley, 1930) painted 'an estate map, executed in old style with animals, such as horses and geese, represented on it in colour in the fields they usually frequented'. This map is now in the WSRO [Add. Mss 17687] and is a delightful, water-colour sketch. It clearly shows gardens to the south and to the west of the house. The latter is a flower garden.

Lady Wolseley in her unpublished notes says that 'the colour schemes of two separate little gardens were delicious. The first one was low-toned and soft and was typical of soft music; and the further one with a herbaceous border on either side of a walk leading south was gay and strong like a brass band. And at the end of this such a view, framed by the gay colours of the flowers'. This too may refer to the Jekyll-inspired planting.

Wolseley (1930) further says that Sir William and Lady Chance had planted trees to frame views to the South Downs. Two gardens to the south were terraced and hedged. Fine colour schemes with strong colours were in the long herbaceous borders with views to Wolstonbury and Campion's Eyebrows. In contrast, another surprise garden close by held only soft toned planting.