Tollard Royal: Gardens, Walks and History

When looking for a hotel in Tollard Royal, Larmer Tree’s gardens, historic buildings and the W14 walk can each offer a different focus for your stay. The gardens combine landscaped spaces with wide views; the church and King John's House reflect different periods of construction, while the circular walk takes in the landscape and its terrain. For planning, practical details matter: Larmer Tree has seasonal opening times, with possible exceptions, and the W14 is hilly and includes a very steep section.

Gardens and views at Larmer Tree

Larmer Tree offers more than 11 acres of landscaped grounds for visitors to explore. From the Larmer Tree Grounds, views stretch across the Dorset countryside; on a clear day, the Isle of Wight can also be seen in the distance. The gardens are open every year from April to October, Sunday to Wednesday, from 10 am to 4 pm. Private events may result in exceptions and closures. Check the calendar before your visit if you plan to see the gardens on a particular day.

Among the distinctive design features is The Temple, an octagonal limestone building dating from around 1880. The Dell is a landscaped rock and water garden with small ponds, paths and steps carved into the rockwork. A building and a garden space shaped by rock, water and paths thus stand side by side as different forms of garden design.

Architectural history and remembrance

The Church of St Peter AD Vincula is an Anglican parish church with architectural features dating from the 13th and 15th centuries. The north aisle contains fine Italian stained-glass windows by Bertini of Milan, dating from 1867. The church and its windows thus represent distinct historical periods: medieval architectural features and a work of art from the 19th century.

King John's House comprises a 13th-century hall house, an eastern service wing and a western residential wing dating from the 17th century. General Pitt-Rivers used the house as a museum in the late 19th century. Its architectural history and subsequent use as a museum each give the house a distinct historical connection.

The Tollard Royal and Rushmore War Memorial commemorates thirteen members of the local community who died in the First World War. It adds a specific connection to the remembrance of the local community to the architectural history of the church and the house.

Landscape, paths and archaeological traces

The W14 circular walk offers views from Win Green and Ox Drove. It follows paths for most of its route, is hilly and has a very steep section. These details can help you consider both the viewpoints and the terrain when planning a day’s walk.

Malacombe Bottom forms the northern section of a dry valley on Tollard Royal’s eastern boundary. Former road routes also offer insight into the history of the landscape: a roughly 480 m section of the Roman road from Badbury Rings to Bath survives as an earthwork in Wiltshire Coppice and Hookley Copse. North-east of Ashmore Farm, a section of the road from Badbury to Bath is one of the few well-preserved parts of this route.

Another link to the local path network is the former road route that was diverted south towards the church and remains a public footpath. Together with the hilly W14, it shows different ways through the landscape: here, a former road route with public footpath status; there, a circular walk with named viewpoints and a very steep section.

Discover more destinations: Staverton, Upper Seagry, Warminster, Crudwell, Manningford Abbots, Ogbourne St George, Cricklade, Stanton Saint Quintin.

For the wider travel guide: Wiltshire.