Paul has grounds for loving his work (From Basingstoke Gazette)

Paul has grounds for loving his work

10:58am Tuesday 5th April 2011 in Memories By Richard Garfield

A PLEASANT stroll through the grounds of Tylney Hall is just like stepping back in time.

The splendid setting is a testament to the efforts of award-winning head gardener Paul Tattersdill and his team, who have their work cut out looking after the 66 acres of manicured gardens and woodland, not to mention four lakes and waterfalls.

No doubt the man who built the current mansion, South African gold and diamond millionaire Sir Lionel Phillips, would have been delighted to see his impressive home and beautiful grounds kept in such good hands.

Today, Tylney Hall, in Rotherwick, is a four-star country hotel.

It is owned by Elite Hotels, which has invested heavily in restoring the mansion and grounds and which is running a series of events to celebrate the hotel’s 25th anniversary.

Tylney Hall has a long and chequered history.

Completed in 1901, the mock Elizabethan mansion was used as a hospital and as a mule station in the First World War.

The last private owner was Lord Rotherwick, who made the mansion the headquarters of his shipping company Clan Line Steamers during the Second World War.

It then became a school run by the London Borough of Brent, which closed in 1984. Understandably, by this time the gardens had suffered.

Paul said: “The school just couldn’t focus on the gardens.

“Vegetables were grown in the Kitchen Garden and that went well, but the pleasure grounds deteriorated.”

One of the victims was the Italian Sunken Garden.

“They built tennis courts on top of the garden,” mused Paul.

“When we started to restore it, we stripped off the tennis courts and found the remains of the pool, and from that we were able take a profile and rebuild the Victorian original.

“We planted a new castellated hedge and new herbaceous borders, and then we started work in growing the topiary.”

Paul is full of praise for his team for their dedication, hard work and enthusiasm, which he puts down to the success of the restoration project.

“It’s an ongoing project and a fantastic one to be involved in,” said Paul.

“The restoration has been very carefully planned and we have got to the point where we can’t afford to get ahead of ourselves and not maintain what we have already restored.”

Paul believes that the current Tylney Hall is the fourth mansion to have stood on this site.

“There are just a few internal walls of the previous house that are inside the present building and externally in the Kitchen Garden.”

Three garden designers have left an influence on the grounds.

The first two were Seldon Wornum, who designed the main house and some of the structure of the gardens, especially the north side, and Robert Weir Schultz.

But perhaps the most famous of the garden designers was Gertrude Jekyll, who in 1906 was asked to produce designs for a wild garden.

Like Robert Weir Schultz, she was a follower of the arts and crafts movement.

Paul admires the influential garden designer, writer, and artist, who created gardens across the UK, Europe and America.

“I think she was the first designer to look at the colour aspects of plants and their flowering times," said Paul.

“And because she was an artist, I think she had a good eye for colour and the gradual use of light colours, dark colours and shades.

“A typical example was when she produced a border that starts on the ends with cool colours but reaches a crescendo of warm colours in the middle.

“We have a collection of her old plans so we are able to recreate some aspects of her designs.”

The grounds of Tylney Hall will be open to the public on Sunday, April 17, as part of the National Gardens Scheme. Admission costs £3.50.