
Parc du Bois des Moutiers, 76119 Varengeville-sur-Mer
Tel. 0235851002 Fax 0235854698
www.boisdesmoutiers.com
15 mars März March au bis 15 novembre November
Tel. 0235851002 Fax 0235854698
www.boisdesmoutiers.com
15 mars März March au bis 15 novembre November

In the year 1898 the English architect Edwin Lutyens was ordered to built a house near the cliffs of Normandy. So Le Bois des Moutier was the only house in France which was built in the English Arts-and-Crafts style.

The Arts-and-Crafts movement considered itself a combination of the old handicrafts tradition combined with the modern Art Nouveau design at the start of the Industrial Revolution.

Lutyens managed wonderful ensembles together with the garden architect Gertrude Jekyll. The Arts-and-Crafts philosophy is evident in all these ensembles. Jekyll sent drawings with flowers and border plans and gave good advices for planting the forest park.

Vita Sackville-West, the creator of the famous English 'Sissinghurst' Garden, also designed parts of Le Bois, see the box garden above with a lot of white plants.

Big mixed borders, the pergola, the magnolia lawn, Mary' s rose garden and the forest park with great views, the collection of wonderful trees, the shrubs and the low perennial herbs, and a marsh with Rheum and Darmera: this are all things to make a visitor happy in all seasons.

The blue Convulvus are one of the prefered motives of the Arts-and-Crafts movement. Very often you meet them in this and other houses with this style as a floral wallpaper design.

Near the house the borders and garden parts are kept in by cut hedges. Here a little bit away from the house as in the sundial garden, you can see that it' s more natural this way.

A sundial is an integral feature of English gardens.

Rare plants such as this Romneya coulteri 'White Cloud' are growing very well in the gentle air of the Normandy coast.

One whole path has been planted with white Hydrangeas.

Now we arrive on the terraced side of Le Bois. It' s a great view over the forest park, isn' t it? A part of the vistas of the sea is growing over.

From the path to the forest park it' s an interesting view back to the house. A lot of windows and doors are typical for this style, which seems to wish to put the garden into the house. Here I must tell you, that I didn' t go into the forest park; it was simply too hot on this day! Instead I visited the house inside with its typical Arts-and-Crafts style.
