The five-bedroom house is surrounded by 2.8 acres, including the iconic garden which is open to the public. Created by 20th century plantswoman and gardening writer Margery Fish, it is the only Grade I listed cottage garden in England. Margery Fish moved to East Lambrook from London with her husband Walter Fish, editor of the Daily Mail, in 1938. A novice gardener when she came to Somerset, she became one of the most important influences on gardening in the 20th century. She developed a style of gardening which was in tune with the times, creating a grand cottage garden on a domestic scale, made famous through her many books and magazine articles. Margery changed gardening from a pastime of the wealthy to a passion for the whole population. Her first book ‘We Made a Garden’, first published in 1956, has inspired generations of gardeners.
Mike Werkmeister and his late wife Gail bought East Lambrook Manor in 2008, having seen a feature about the property and its famous garden being for sale in the Sunday Times. Despite not actively looking to move, the couple were attracted by the idea of moving to the Somerset countryside and - like the Fish’s - made the move from London, taking over the running of the open garden, nursery, tearoom and The Malthouse Gallery, which provided a fabulous teaching space for Gail, who was an antenatal teacher and President of the National Childbirth Trust.
A gardener from the age of about four, Mike embraced the garden and nursery, and along with a small team of staff and volunteers, the couple carefully maintained and improved the gardens. Mike has built up the snowdrop collection and established a Festival of Snowdrops, which attracted more than 3,000 visitors in February this year.
Mike’s aim has always been to ‘maintain the ethos of Margery Fish’s garden’ and he now wants to find a like-minded buyer to take on the property and keep the garden open to the public.
East Lambrook Manor is on the market for a guide price of £2,250,000.
