England's only surviving rococo garden, half a mile north of Painswick, was laid out by Benjamin Hyett in the 1740s as a vast 'outdoor room'. Restored to its original glory thanks to a contemporary painting, it’s absolutely stunning. Winding paths soften its geometrical precision, leading visitors to scattered Gothic follies that include the eccentric Red House, which has Latin quotes from the Song of Solomon etched into its stained-glass windows. There's also a children's nature trail and maze.
Painswick Rococo Garden
The Cotswolds
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
29.3 MILES
Welcome to one of Northern Europe's most significant Roman sites. Today more than a million visitors a year come to see its historic finds, atmospheric…
-
28.58 MILES
After Welsh marauders torched the original Saxon cathedral, the Norman rulers of Hereford erected a larger, grander cathedral on the same site. The…
-
23.38 MILES
Morgan has been handcrafting elegant sports cars since 1909. You can see the mechanics at work on two-hour guided tours of the unassuming shedlike…
5.54 MILES
Gloucester’s spectacular cathedral is among the first and finest examples of the English Perpendicular Gothic style. Benedictine monks built a Norman…
29.16 MILES
With a diameter of 348m, Avebury is the largest stone circle in the world. It's also one of the oldest, dating from 2500 to 2200 BC. Today, more than 30…
29.61 MILES
This mighty, innovative steamship was designed by engineering genius Isambard Kingdom Brunel in 1843. You get to wander the galley, surgeon's quarters and…
21.6 MILES
The haunting riverside ruins of this sprawling monastic complex have inspired poets and artists through the centuries, most notably William Wordsworth,…
29.03 MILES
For a glimpse into the splendour and razzle-dazzle of Georgian life, head for the beautifully restored house at No 1 Royal Crescent, given to the city by…
Nearby The Cotswolds attractions
0.55 MILES
Painswick centres on this fine 14th-century, Perpendicular Gothic wool church, surrounded by 18th-century tabletop tombs and clipped yew trees sculpted to…
3.2 MILES
Amid amenities like a leisure pool in Stroud’s municipal park, 800m northwest of the centre, this 18th-century mansion tells the history of the town and…
3. National Waterways Museum Gloucester
5.31 MILES
The largest warehouse on the Gloucester Docks, the towering, red-brick, 1873 Llanthony hosts a hands-on museum dedicated to Britain’s inland waterways,…
4. Tailor of Gloucester Museum & Shop
5.5 MILES
Tucked into a narrow lane opposite the cathedral, this cutesy museum pays homage to Beatrix Potter and her magical Tailor of Gloucester storybook. Potter…
5.54 MILES
Gloucester’s spectacular cathedral is among the first and finest examples of the English Perpendicular Gothic style. Benedictine monks built a Norman…
5.6 MILES
Housed in a superb series of neighbouring 16th- and 17th-century Tudor and Jacobean timber-framed buildings, this creaky-floored folk museum examines…
6.63 MILES
When work on grand, graceful Woodchester Mansion, off the B4066 3 miles north of Uley, was abandoned in the mid-1860s, the roof was on but the house was…
7.19 MILES
This 5000-year-old oval-shaped long barrow (earth mound) occupies a spectacular hilltop location. Successive excavations have uncovered at least 13 human…