Surrey may seem unpromising territory for Gothic landscapes. And yet, just outside the centre of Godalming lies Busbridge Lakes, a kind of
mini-Hawkestone, nearly as much fun as that great folly-filled gorge and even less well-known. Mr & Mrs Douetil bought the derelict estate of
Busbridge in 1966. The great Georgian mansion house had been demolished in 1906, and its replacement (up the hill away from the gardens)
had been sliced off and turned into apartments. The Douetils moved into the stables, gradually making the building habitable, and then
discovering the amazing landscape they'd got into the bargain.
The owner in the 1750s, 60s, and 70s, Philip Webb, was an antiquary and the usual sort of moneyed lunatic. He seems to have
recognised the gloomstruck possibilities of the Busbridge environment, where the stream cuts a deep gorge through the sandstone, leaving
rocky outcrops and caves all most amenable to being tweaked to produce appropriately Romantick and Gothick reflections. Mr Webb's
early-19th century successor, Henry Hare Townsend, added his own follies and arrangements to the landscape. The grotto which houses the
spring that feeds the lake is his; the one above it, built originally as a tomb and topped with a bit of inscribed Roman detritus, is Webb's. But,
as ever, what makes a Gothic Garden is not random Gothic follies, but the use of follies to accentuate already-dramatic surroundings.
mini-Hawkestone, nearly as much fun as that great folly-filled gorge and even less well-known. Mr & Mrs Douetil bought the derelict estate of
Busbridge in 1966. The great Georgian mansion house had been demolished in 1906, and its replacement (up the hill away from the gardens)
had been sliced off and turned into apartments. The Douetils moved into the stables, gradually making the building habitable, and then
discovering the amazing landscape they'd got into the bargain.
The owner in the 1750s, 60s, and 70s, Philip Webb, was an antiquary and the usual sort of moneyed lunatic. He seems to have
recognised the gloomstruck possibilities of the Busbridge environment, where the stream cuts a deep gorge through the sandstone, leaving
rocky outcrops and caves all most amenable to being tweaked to produce appropriately Romantick and Gothick reflections. Mr Webb's
early-19th century successor, Henry Hare Townsend, added his own follies and arrangements to the landscape. The grotto which houses the
spring that feeds the lake is his; the one above it, built originally as a tomb and topped with a bit of inscribed Roman detritus, is Webb's. But,
as ever, what makes a Gothic Garden is not random Gothic follies, but the use of follies to accentuate already-dramatic surroundings.
The Upper Grotto - the tomb intended for
Mr Webb's wife and children. Where was
he going to go, then?
Mr Webb's wife and children. Where was
he going to go, then?
"LEG. II AUG."
Looking out on the Bottom Lake from the Gothic
Boathouse. We were very impressed that somewhere so
careless of health-and-safety diktat was open to walk
around!
Boathouse. We were very impressed that somewhere so
careless of health-and-safety diktat was open to walk
around!
A rustick bridge ...
Poor old Hercules on the hilltop was
toppled over and smothered in a sea of
nettles before the Douetils found him
and put him up again.
toppled over and smothered in a sea of
nettles before the Douetils found him
and put him up again.
Follies not yet open to the public...
A Doric Temple, and the lakes
along the valley bottom, provide a
gentle and tranquil contrast to all
the Gothic gloomth.
along the valley bottom, provide a
gentle and tranquil contrast to all
the Gothic gloomth.
But the masterpiece of Busbridge, and a feature which seems to be without any parallel
elsewhere, is the magnificent Ghost Walk. This is a thirty-foot deep rift running into
the cliff to the south of the gardens, adorned with a Hermit's Cave and a lookout tower
on top of the ravine, and entered via an unnecessarily precipitous path at the top, or the
wonderful five-fanged arch at the bottom.
elsewhere, is the magnificent Ghost Walk. This is a thirty-foot deep rift running into
the cliff to the south of the gardens, adorned with a Hermit's Cave and a lookout tower
on top of the ravine, and entered via an unnecessarily precipitous path at the top, or the
wonderful five-fanged arch at the bottom.
I'm sorry the photographs don't really show the
Ghost Walk in its glorious reality. It is of course
pretty ruinous today - that is, even more than it
was originally intended to be. Its niches and
alcoves were once filled with statues and busts
which loomed palely out of the shadows; only one
of these remains, looking doggedly out over the
lake, the last remaining guardian - or ghost.
As at Hawkestone, you can only smile at the
off-the-wall genius of the mind responsible for
this, and the delightful attempt to encourage such
excitingly scary feelings in visitors. Just imagine
the happy Georgian dinner-guests of Mr Webb or
Mr Townsend being brought up here with lamps
and candles, and scaring themselves silly in the
dark like a collection of kids!
Ghost Walk in its glorious reality. It is of course
pretty ruinous today - that is, even more than it
was originally intended to be. Its niches and
alcoves were once filled with statues and busts
which loomed palely out of the shadows; only one
of these remains, looking doggedly out over the
lake, the last remaining guardian - or ghost.
As at Hawkestone, you can only smile at the
off-the-wall genius of the mind responsible for
this, and the delightful attempt to encourage such
excitingly scary feelings in visitors. Just imagine
the happy Georgian dinner-guests of Mr Webb or
Mr Townsend being brought up here with lamps
and candles, and scaring themselves silly in the
dark like a collection of kids!
There's much more to do at
Busbridge. The lower Grotto
is closed to the public at the
moment, and around the
place one can glimpse all
sorts of things which look
meaningful. Rocks like these
don't just arrange themselves,
you know: I suspect we have
'Druidical Remains' here. The
set on the right are actually
outside the Lakes, in the
fishery to the west of the
Rustick Bridge, along with
other features which look
suspiciously like even more
follies. However, it all needs
money, of course, and Mrs
Douetil says the lower bridge
has already collapsed twice.
Busbridge. The lower Grotto
is closed to the public at the
moment, and around the
place one can glimpse all
sorts of things which look
meaningful. Rocks like these
don't just arrange themselves,
you know: I suspect we have
'Druidical Remains' here. The
set on the right are actually
outside the Lakes, in the
fishery to the west of the
Rustick Bridge, along with
other features which look
suspiciously like even more
follies. However, it all needs
money, of course, and Mrs
Douetil says the lower bridge
has already collapsed twice.
| Gothic folly-hunter contemplates the wreckage of human aspirations. |
| Busbridge Lakes is only open to the public intermittently, around Bank Holidays. It tends to be a bit busy as a result, but not so busy that you can't find a quiet corner or two; in fact, I managed to wander quite a long way and not encounter anyone at all. The Douetils are not only concerned with rescuing their Gothic Garden, but also with breeding rare waterfowl and pheasants; this may seem a distraction, but in fact the shrieks of the peacocks add a certain frisson to the Gothic atmospherics! Discover more here. |
