Easton Walled Gardens

Delightful Easton Walled Gardens still echo the character of the 16th century Manor House  that once occupied the site – and housed some of the most celebrated Arnhem combatants.

During 1944, the magnificent Easton Hall, later demolished in the 1950s, was the base for ‘A’ Company, 2nd Parachute Battalion.

Soldiers billeted there wrote their names into military history as the men who held the road bridge at Arnhem against overwhelming German odds. 

They included Lieutenant John ‘Jack’ Grayburn, a platoon commander who was billeted in a cottage on the Easton Estate in the months leading up to Arnhem.  For his actions at the bridge, ‘Jack’ was posthumously awarded a Victoria Cross.

Today’s visitors can wander 400-year-old, restored, 12-acre gardens, some of the finest in the UK, and home to snowdrops, sweet peas, roses and meadows. 

The tearoom serves delicious cakes and cream teas and there is a well-stocked gift shop and plants for sale.  Other highlights include a turf maze, yew tunnel and bird hide.

Historic buildings have been transformed to offer a choice of six units from characterful cottages and lofts to lodges - including the former 2nd Parachute Battalion Reading Room, with its quaint spiral staircase.

For more information about Lieutenant John Grayburn, please click here:

Lt John Hollington Grayburn VC