A few miles down the road from Stowe is Claydon House. It belonged to the Verney family for around 300 years (the current descendants still have a flat within the house) and passed to the National Trust in 1956.
The exterior of the house hides a lavish interior filled with oddities, stunning carvings and Verney family portraits (no photography allowed). Florence Nightingale spent her summers at Claydon, because her sister became the second wife of Harry Verney, the 2nd baronet. He had apparently courted, and been rejected by, Florence first. 
The garden is managed by the Verney family, so there is a small entrance fee (reduced rate for National Trust members). 
It was originally designed by John Sanderson, a pupil of ‘Capability’ Brown in the eighteenth century and there are beautiful herbaceous borders, attractive pools, an extensive walled garden and an unusual historic glass house.
The estate is now closed to the public until mid-March 2019.
Claydon House and Gardens
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Beautiful gardens, I like that round entry into the walled garden. After reading The Secret Garden, I’ve put a secret walled garden on the to do list. I know Deb has said this before, but Ruth you certainly could write for Tour & See England. Thank you for sharing pieces of the countryside & city with me.
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You’re too kind, but thank you!
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I absolutely love that circular hole in the wall! What a lovely garden, you are certainly getting some good use out of your NT membership.
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That’s exactly what we planned when we took out membership last year – it’s been a great addition to our weekends. We’ve still got one or two to squeeze in before the closure for the winter months …
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Beautiful! I really like that round brick entrance – just makes one want to go through to see what’s on the other side.
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