Trip: Houghton Lodge & Longstock Water Gardens

Friday 5th June 2026

Roses climbing into a tree

Expressions of Interest Sought – Coach Trip

Houghton Lodge & Longstock Water Gardens

Trip to two outstanding and contrasting Hampshire gardens near Romsey, with a lunch stop at the market town of Stockbridge, known for its many independent shops and eateries.

Houghton Lodge Gardens is a privately owned house and garden, set high above the River Test with views across open water meadows. The house is the finest surviving example of an 18th-century Cottage Orné, set within Grade II listed gardens. The gardens are at their best in early June, when planting is rich with colour and scent.

Garden highlights:

• An impressive 350-foot herbaceous border, featuring early-summer irises at their peak
• The rose and clematis arbour lined with scented peonies
• A herb garden, including beds for medicinal herbs, natural dyes, perfumery and herbal teas, alongside cutting and scented beds with an orchid house
• A traditional kitchen garden, with 32 varieties of apple trees, and the world-record-holding widest espaliered pear tree
• The peacock topiary garden, its semi-formal box parterre and the nearby Oriental Garden
• Over 14 acres of gardens and riverside walks, with resident alpacas, Hebridean sheep and a ‘snorting’ topiary dragon
• The quirky Glass House, where refreshments can be served indoors or outdoors, with fantastic views (pre-bookable, extra cost)

Longstock Water Garden was created in the early 20th century as a place of rest and quiet contemplation. Part of the Leckford Estate and owned by the John Lewis Partnership, it covers around seven acres. The garden is fed by the chalk-clear waters of the River Test and is designed to encourage calm and reflection.

Garden highlights:

• An archipelago of 16 small islands, linked by simple wooden bridges, revealing ever-changing views
• Large, immersive blocks of planting, where scale, repetition and texture provide a sense of calm and space
• Thousands of candelabra primulas form a stunning early-summer display
• Over 40 varieties of water lily as summer progresses
• A notable collection of trees, including swamp cypress, giant redwoods and metasequoia

Indicative price: between £38 and £40 (depending on numbers)

Expressions of Interest

If we receive sufficient expressions of interest (no commitment at this stage), we will confirm the trip and price. The subsequent booking process will be published in the emailed EHS Update in early April.

To express an interest in this trip, please email:
Sarah Furness – events@emshs.org.uk