Designed by Arthur Warwick Sutton (of Sutton Seeds) and his head gardener, Alexander Wright between 1895 and 1902.
The north boundary of the Dell is the former gardens of Bucklebury Place, now owned by Lindens; the boundary to the west is farmland; some of the eastern boundary adjoins the gardens of other properties (Pastorale, Dellwood, and Liming), and the remaining boundaries are wooded. There is no direct access to the Dell from the road.
Bucklebury Place was developed as a small late Victorian estate from a greenfield site by Arthur Warwick Sutton (1854 – 1925) who was a partner in Sutton Seeds. Arthur Sutton created the gardens around the house between 1895 and 1902 as a showcase for Sutton Seeds who were located in Reading at that time. A site of about five acres, it occupies a natural dip in the land with a natural spring line. Arthur Sutton took advantage of this to create a woodland glade with two ponds and a cascade between them The Dell was planted with a variety of shrubs and flowers within a shelter belt of trees and many spring bulbs.
The fact that the Dell has survived is remarkable. It has developed into a beautiful woodland glade with many of its original features.
Location
Open the location with: Google Maps | Bing Maps | OpenStreetMap