The place

Armscote Manor is a Jacobean manor house in Warwickshire, set within a 25 acre estate. It is one of Dan’s earliest English country house commissions.

The brief

The clients commissioned a traditional country house garden, but with a bold, contemporary twist.

The design

Inspired by the Arts & Crafts gardens of Lutyens and Jekyll and by Lawrence Johnston’s nearby Hidcote, the formal character of the manor is set off by generously proportioned hard landscaping, while the English country garden tradition has been treated confidently and playfully, with bold use of colour, a free use of topiary and contemporary naturalistic plantings held within the framework of traditional hedged enclosures.

In some ways this is a classic English manor house and garden, with that familiar garden-room layout of hedged and walled enclosures, a 1920’s sunken Italianate pool garden, and a straight path to the front door flanked by vibrant lavender and four ancient yew topiaries. But Pearson (while acknowledging Hidcote as an inspiration) has treated each space with individuality and flair. The garden at Armscote is a highly complex design of many elements, offering a sense of variation within unity. It is like a tasting menu in a restaurant, where all the elements combine to create a sense of a signature style.

Tim Richardson | The New English Garden

The Quakers who used to meet in this Jacobean manor house in Warwickshire would raise their eyebrows at the goings-on in the garden since Dan Pearson became involved six years ago. But initial gasps of shock at the spectacle of the red borders in high summer would soon give way to a sigh of joy from the most puritanical onlooker. Fiery though this composition may be, it is so skilfully planned that you are left marvelling at the wonders of nature. Dan’s gardens all tend to have that effect. His talents are many and combine explosively. His immense plant know­ledge sits happily with an instinctive understanding of natural habitats and his sense of colour is as finely tuned as his eye for design; and underpinning all these is his skill as a gardener. Dan’s gardens owe much of their success to his understanding of the everyday practicalities of running a garden – his artistry works because it is rooted in reality. Like much of Dan’s work the herbaceous borders combine skill and beauty, but they also exhibit a surprising element of drama and wit from this intensely thoughtful designer. 

Tania Compton | House & Garden