Garden of the week

HILL OF TARVIT MANSION GARDEN & ESTATE

CUPAR, FIFE KY15 5PB

HILL of Tarvit was originally known as Wemyss Hall. In 1904, the new owner, Frederick Sharp, commissioned architect Robert Lorimer to transform the 17th-century house and garden into a modern 20th-century estate. Lorimer’s additions included landscaped gardens, Yew buttresses, flower borders and a sunken rose garden. Sharp then added his very own nine-hole golf course, Kingarrock Hickory Golf – the only exclusively hickory golf course in Britain.

Today, this 300-acre estate consists of open farmland, woodland walks, formal terraced gardens, and includes a fine example of an Edwardian Laundry where visitors can see what life was like downstairs. It is now one of the largest maternity bat roosts in the National Trust for Scotland.

The estate showcases mixed planted woodland, both deciduous and evergreen, with examples of

Acer, Sequoiadendron, Polylepis, and Dicksonia – the perfect place to walk dogs.

A wee jaunt to the top of the hill is also recommended with views right across Fife. A doocot overlooks the Kingarrock Golf Course and has one of the best secluded vantage points of the estate. Manicured lawns and large green open space framed by Cedrus atlantica Glauca enhance the view from the house and above sits the sundial with the inscription: “Only count the sunny hours”.

The kitchen garden is surrounded by a ha-ha – a sunken fence that was commonly used in landscaped gardens in the 18th century – with its own lost curling pond.

Hill of Travit is an ideal place to explore with the family, either for a woodland walk or to try out the lawn games with the children. December also brings festive celebrations with the estate’s Christmas cottage and Christmas fayre events.

Website: https://www.nts.org.uk/visit/ places/hill-of-tarvit-mansion

Telephone: 01334 653127

Opening times: Open all year, daily 9am

until dusk

Admission costs: Garden is free, for Mansion costs please visit the website.

Garden of the Week is in association with Discover Scottish Gardens. For more information, advice and day-out ideas, visit discoverscottishgardens.org