Off the Beaten Track in Somerset: Ashcombe Gardens, Simonsbath

Ashcombe Gardens were laid out by John Knight in around 1820 to the north of Simonsbath House and up the valley of the Ashcombe Stream. Deciduous trees and conifers were planted and terraced paths were constructed but the gardens were never completed. They were designed using "picturesque" principles. The Oxford English Dictionary defines picturesque gardening as "the arrangement of a garden so as to make it resemble a picture: a romantic style of gardening, aiming at irregular and rugged beauty".

The Fortescue family bought the Simonsbath estate from Sir Frederick Knight in 1879 to use mainly for stag hunting. Their main house was Castle Hill at Filleigh and they only used Simonsbath House for holidays and hunting parties until 1934 when Castle Hill was damaged in a fire. They moved to Simonsbath House for 2 years while Castle Hill was being repaired. They planted up Ashcombe Gardens. The Fortescues then rented out Simonsbath House to 4 different tenants from 1940-68 and the gardens became neglected and overgrown. They sold Simonsbath House in 1969 and it has been run as a hotel ever since.

Most of the trees in Ashcombe Gardens were felled in the 1940s but since then a wood of mainly oak, ash and sycamore has replaced them. The gardens are currently being restored by a group of volunteers.