Abbotsford

About the garden

The garden at Abbotsford was designed by Sir Walter Scott with advice from artists, architects and friends and is a rare surviving example of a Regency Garden layout. Divided into three distinct outdoor rooms, the compact and fragrant garden is carefully laid out to offer picturesque settings for the main house. Enclosed within high walls, the space feels like a scene from one of Scott’s historical romances, complete with views of his Juliet balcony, a Rapunzel tower overlooking the river, and a gothic staircase leading to the meadow. The kitchen garden features heritage vegetables and fruits, while vibrant herbaceous borders fill the air with heady scents, offering visitors a tranquil and colourful retreat.

Among the garden’s highlights is Scott’s greenhouse, a Gothic structure based on a medieval jousting tent, and built in 1825 by John Smith of Darnick. It was the culmination of a period of extensive work in the gardens, encompassing changes to the garden walls and the creation of other new structures for cultivating fruits and tender plants, all of which are now lost. The interior was originally heated around its perimeter by a coal-powered furnace, situated in the sunken furnace house. Following a complex restoration project from 2022–2024, visitors can now enjoy a multisensory storytelling experience inside these buildings.