Batsford Arboretum, a magnificent place famous for its trees and fascinating past in Gloucestershire.
Address: Batsford, Moreton-in-Marsh, Gloucestershire, GL56 9AT.
Batsford Arboretum in the Cotswolds is a dog-friendly destination well worth a visit — not only for its magnificent collection of trees and landscape designs influenced by China and Japan, but also for its intriguing and sometimes notorious history connected to the Mitford sisters. We visited the arboretum twice this year: first in summer, and again in early November, when the air was crisp and the trees were dressed in their finest autumn colours.
Batsford Arboretum is home to a unique collection of beautiful and rare trees, shrubs, and bamboos from around the world, spread across 60 acres. Its most famous residents include a remarkable variety of Japanese maples, rare magnolias, bamboo groves, and Japanese flowering cherries — and it’s completely dog-friendly!
But Batsford isn’t just about the trees — there are some famously notable figures behind its beauty. The arboretum, as we know it today, began to take shape in the late 19th century under the care of Algernon Bertram Freeman-Mitford (1837–1916), a British diplomat, plant collector, and writer best known for his work Tales of Old Japan. Many of the trees he planted at that time can still be seen throughout the arboretum.
Algernon travelled widely through China and Japan, and those experiences greatly influenced his taste and vision for gardening and landscape design. When he inherited the estate in 1886 and settled in the Cotswolds, he set about creating an arboretum inspired by Chinese and Japanese ideas and traditions. Today, visitors can spot plenty of Oriental touches — such as the Japanese Rest House, complete with a rooftop dragon to ward off evil spirits, and several bronze statues nearby, including a Buddha, two Japanese deer, and a mythical creature called a Foo Dog, its paw resting on a globe.
Despite Algernon’s significant contributions to horticultural design, he is perhaps best remembered as the grandfather of the six Mitford sisters. His legacy, however, extends far beyond this famous lineage. Over time, the five elder sisters became collectively known as the “Mitford girls,” their contrasting political views and flamboyant lives making them notorious figures of their era. The youngest, Deborah Mitford, became the Duchess of Devonshire and made her home at Chatsworth House in Derbyshire.
Since 1992, Batsford Arboretum has been owned and managed by the Batsford Foundation — a registered charity — and is open to the public daily for most of the year. Its neighbour, Batsford House, remains privately owned by Michael Wills, 3rd Baron Dulverton, and is not open to visitors.
Dogs at Batsford Arboretum
At Batsford, dogs are treated as part of the family. Well-behaved pups on short leads are welcome throughout the arboretum all year round. They are also allowed inside the gift shop, the garden centre, and even the café! There’s also a plant nursery offering rare and unusual specimens — where we finally bought the Japanese maple we had been dreaming about.
Opening times
9:30 – 17:00 (Monday – Saturday);
10:00 – 17:00 (Sunday).
Admission fee
£10.90 for adults, £3.15 for children.
Parking
Free for visitors.
Website
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