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Pictures of The Swiss Garden

a Garden or Park in the town of Biggleswade, in the county of Bedfordshire

Swiss Garden, Old Warden, Bedfordshire - October 2005

About The Swiss Garden

These glorious gardens, laid out in the early part of the 19th century, fully embrace the romanticism of the era. The fashion at the time called for the flamboyant and ornate, something these gardens have in full measure, thus it is not surprising to learn the garden is one of Bedfordshire's foremost tourist attractions.

At the centre of the garden lies an ornate Swiss Cottage with a decorative thatched roof, this sets the tone for what is to come. Every pace you take leads you towards some fresh delight, be it magnificent banks of rhododendrons, azaleas, rose arbours, or tiny miniature buildings. Hidden away is one of the garden highlights, a beautiful fairytale grotto with a magnificent fernery, this can only be described as a dreamy fantasia of brilliant light and shade.

The classical proportions of the garden allow for formal walks between vibrant flower beds. There are many well established old English plants and shrubs including sweetly scented rambling roses. In all parts of the Swiss Garden much use is made of picturesque garden statutory, and urns overflowing with seasonal blooms are placed to good effect. There is also much that is exotic, with plants from all corners of the earth.

Visitors can wander amongst charming network of streams, ponds and tiny islands highlighted by graceful small bridges. In the lovely lakeside and woodland areas there are places for enjoying an outdoor picnic.

At whatever season you visit these gardens are a brilliant splash of colour. Bright daffodils nod in the early spring, later come gentle bluebells, and the year finishes with a flourish of glowing berries and leaves in shades of orange, red and purple.

The garden is entered through Old Warnden Park, where there is a mansion house built in 1876 by the Shuttleworth family, and the garden, as we see it today is the romantic creation of the 3rd Lord Ongley.

Visitors may take tea on the mansion lawn or enjoy a meal in the lovely restaurant as part of their visit.

The Swiss Garden is open from April to October and from November to March.
Please see below for other recommended attractions and towns to visit near The Swiss Garden.

Planning a visit? Please help support this website by booking your hotels near The Swiss Garden and uploading your pictures. Please leave a review of this attraction.
Distances and directions shown below are approximate. For true driving distances please visit the AA Route Planner

Recommended attractions near The Swiss Garden

Shuttleworth House(0.4 miles, 0.7 km)Pictures
The Shuttleworth Collection(0.4 miles, 0.7 km)Pictures
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Wrest Park House and Gardens(6.4 miles, 10.3 km, direction SW)Pictures
Houghton House(7.3 miles, 11.7 km, direction SW)Pictures
Sharpenhoe Clappers(9.8 miles, 15.8 km, direction SW)Pictures
Stevington Country Park(10.6 miles, 17.0 km, direction NW)Pictures
Sundon Hills Country Park(11.1 miles, 17.9 km, direction SW)Pictures

All attractions in Bedfordshire
Complete A to Z of attractions in England

Recommended towns near The Swiss Garden

Old Warden in the county of Bedfordshire (0.7 miles, 1.1 km)
Old Warden is a sleepy Bedfordshire village with pretty honey-coloured thatched cottages and a wealth of other interesting buildings.
Info | Pictures | Hotels

Cardington in the county of Bedfordshire (4.2 miles, 6.8 km, direction NW)
The rural town of Cardington has a double claim to fame
Info | Pictures | Hotels

Willington in the county of Bedfordshire (4.4 miles, 7.0 km, direction NW)
Willington lies on the south east outskirts of Bedford, it is most notable for its Dovecote, an oblong structure with nesting...
Info | Pictures | Hotels

Potton in the county of Bedfordshire (5.7 miles, 9.1 km, direction NE)
Potton is a small market town lying close to the Cambridgeshire border. It has a long history, holding its first market in the 13th century when much of the land on which the town stood belonged to the Earls of Huntingdon.
Info | Pictures | Hotels

Clophill in the county of Bedfordshire (5.7 miles, 9.1 km, direction SW)
A village surrounded by woodlands and famous for the art of straw plaiting used to make straw boater hats. Legend has it that...
Info | Pictures | Hotels

Elstow in the county of Bedfordshire (5.8 miles, 9.3 km, direction W)
Elstow's fine Moot Hall is a building of 1500, this is a medieval market hall which is open to the public, it houses a collection illustrating John Bunyan's life and times.
Info | Pictures | Hotels

Bedford in the county of Bedfordshire (6.7 miles, 10.7 km, direction NW)
Bedford is the historic County town of Bedfordshire with a beautiful riverside setting on the great River Ouse. John Bunyan, author of Pilgrim's has strong associations with this town.
Info | Pictures | Hotels

Silsoe in the county of Bedfordshire (6.8 miles, 10.9 km, direction SW)
Silsoe is mostly noted for Wrest Park, a mansion in French Chateaux style which was the home of the de Grey family.
Info | Pictures | Hotels

Ashwell in the county of Hertfordshire (7.9 miles, 12.8 km, direction E)
Ashwell embodies some of the finest domestic architecture in England, here in this well preserved village, at a glance you get a pleasurable insight as to what England was like in the 16th and 17th-centuries.
Info | Pictures | Hotels

Ampthill in the county of Bedfordshire (8.0 miles, 12.9 km, direction SW)
The lovely town of Ampthill lies sheltered by hills in the sandstone belt of Bedfordshire.
Info | Pictures | Hotels

All towns in Bedfordshire
Complete A to Z of towns in England

Nearby travel help

Biggleswade Station(3.0 miles, 4.9 km, direction E)
Sandy Station(3.5 miles, 5.6 km, direction NE)
A1(M) Junction 10(7.4 miles, 11.9 km, direction SE)
A1(M) Junction 9 (Letchworth Gate)(9.9 miles, 15.9 km, direction SE)
London Luton Airport(14.6 miles, 23.5 km, direction S)
Cambridge Airport(23.0 miles, 37.0 km, direction NE)
The Swiss Garden to London(40.7 miles, 65.5 km, direction S)

Accommodation & Hotels near The Swiss Garden

Hotel Name
Holiday Inn Garden Court Sandy(3.6 miles, 5.9 km, direction N)
The Carriage House(4.2 miles, 6.7 km, direction S)
The Barns Hotel (Form. Corus Hotel Bedford)(4.9 miles, 7.9 km, direction NW)
Tudor Oaks Lodge(6.0 miles, 9.6 km, direction SE)
Embankment Hotel(6.6 miles, 10.6 km, direction NW)
De Pary's Hotel(7.2 miles, 11.5 km, direction NW)
Shakespeare Hotel(7.7 miles, 12.3 km, direction NW)
Sleep Inn Baldock(7.8 miles, 12.6 km, direction E)
St Neots (Eaton Socon) Premier Travel Inn(8.7 miles, 14.1 km, direction N)
Firs Hotel & Restaurant(9.2 miles, 14.7 km, direction S)
All of our hotels are available to book online & with special discounts


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