The natural and the crafted in perfect harmony at Hidcote garden

The world-famous manor house and garden at Hidcote will host its first ever sculpture exhibition, and it’s not to be missed…

Hidcote’s Grade I listed Arts and Crafts garden is renowned for its series of intricate ‘rooms’, full of plants collected from around the world by creator Major Lawrence Johnston.

This autumn, the beauty is set to reach new heights of splendour as the gardens and the manor house are the setting for more than 200 sculptures by 50 artists, local and internationally acclaimed. Their pieces showcase a wide range of styles and materials: from marble, granite and ceramics to aluminium, gold and glass.

The garden is the perfect backdrop, for many of the contributing artists have drawn inspiration from flowers and the natural world to explore themes such as the environment and sustainability. Other sources of inspiration include human emotions, the uniqueness of our points of view and the materials themselves. 

Among the artists are Ruth Moilliet, who uses recycled materials to draw attention to threats to the environment; Jenny Pickford, who forges her nature-inspired works from ironwork and blown glass; Marie Boyle, inspired by a love of dance, acrobatics and athletics and influenced by Renaissance masters; and Neil Wilkin, whose painstakingly crafted glass sculptures can be found in public and private collections, including the Victoria and Albert Museum.

The exhibition will run from 1 September to 2 November and is being carefully curated by David Waghorne and Kate McGovern from Sculpture Events to complement the different areas of the garden at Hidcote.

All sculptures will be available for sale after the exhibition, which will include some unique editions.

Hidcote garden is at Hidcote Bartrim, near Chipping Campden, GL55 6LR; nationaltrust.org.uk/hidcote