Garsington Manor

Garsington Manor stands in the quiet Oxfordshire village of Garsington, a 17th-century limestone country house near Oxford. Built in the 1630s on land once owned by Geoffrey Chaucer’s son, it was later purchased by Lady Ottoline Morrell and her husband Philip in 1913. The house had served as a farmhouse and was in poor condition when they took possession. Philip Tilden, the architect, worked with the Morrells to restore it in the 1920s, blending unobtrusive changes into the original structure.

The manor became famous as a gathering place for artists, writers and thinkers in the early 20th century. Ottoline Morrell hosted figures such as D. H. Lawrence, Virginia Woolf, T. S. Eliot and Bertrand Russell between 1915 and 1924. The house also provided refuge during the First World War for conscientious objectors who worked on the farm. Ottoline’s influence extended into literature, inspiring characters in works by Aldous Huxley and D. H. Lawrence, though not always kindly.

Visitors today find a Grade II* listed house with landscaped Italian-style gardens designed by Charles Edward Mallows. The gardens include a parterre of 24 square beds with Irish yews, an ornamental pool set with statues, and a wild garden with lime-tree avenues and a stream. The estate also features stables, a bakehouse, a dovecote and a summer house, all contributing to the historic atmosphere of the place.