Swiss Garden

Enjoy A Lovely Day Out In The Swiss Garden

Visitors heading to Bedfordshire go for a break from their everyday life in the majority of cases, and that means getting back to nature. It is impossible not to enjoy the countryside when you are in the county because of the area’s outstanding natural beauty. The Swiss Garden in Old Warden Park contributes towards that beauty but is totally different from the rest of the picturesque scene that you might witness around the county! As a result, it is an absolute must see!

The Swiss Garden was first created in Old Warden Park in the 1820s. The idea for the garden and the cottage that stand in its midst was conceived and executed by Lord Ongley who admired the work of John Buonarotti Papworth at the time. It was fashioned in the style of the popular Regency Gardens that were cropping up all over England at that time, but is one of the few left standing today unfortunately.

The cottage in the Swiss Garden itself does have a few Victorian features as a result of the changes that the Shuttleworth family introduced when they bought the estate in the 1870s. However, those changes do not detract from the quaint and picturesque setting of the garden and you can quite easily spend hours in the garden itself just relaxing.

If you do want a little adventure when you are in the Swiss Garden then there is a grotto to explore as well as an Indian Pavilion, a thatched tree shelter and a couple of ponds with plenty of fish in there as well. Then there are the trees. There are many species of trees in the park today so you can really enjoy the fruits of nature. If you are lucky then there will be a display on when you visit. There are some fantastic displays on there throughout the year so try and schedule your visit if you want to fully experience all the Swiss Garden has to offer.