The original house at Dixter, Northiam, which dates from the mid 15th century, was acquired by a businessman named Nathaniel Lloyd in 1909. He had a 16th century house in a similar style moved from Kent and the two were combined with new work by the architect Edwin Lutyens to create a much larger house, which was rechristened Great Dixter. It is a romantic recreation of a medieval manor house, complete with great hall, parlour, solar and yeoman's hall.
The house and garden are open to the public from April to the end of October. Study days, workshops and lectures are held frequently. A charity called the Great Dixter Charitable Trust has been established to ensure that the property is preserved.
One of the pleasant features about the gardens is that they
lie all the house. Make a circuit of the gardens and you have made a circuit of
the house exterior. Each has good views of the other.
Most of the garden design was by Lutyens; it always seems
Fluid, never stodgy. Thus, yew hedges are sometimes curve, making a change from
straight lines. He often used tiles in a decorative manner. Thus, a chicken
house with rotten walls was turned into an open side loggia, supported by
laminated tile pillars. In so far as possible, Lutyens incorporated farm
buildings into design, turning them to other uses. Four brick cattle drinking
tanks were retained; we have now filed these in and planted them.
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