Waterperry
Encyclopedia
River Thame
The River Thame is a river in Southern England. It is a tributary of the larger and better-known River Thames.The general course of the River Thame is north-east to south-west and the distance from its source to the River Thames is about 40 miles...
about 7 miles (11.3 km) east of Oxford
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
in Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire is a county in the South East region of England, bordering on Warwickshire and Northamptonshire , Buckinghamshire , Berkshire , Wiltshire and Gloucestershire ....
and close to the county boundary with Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan home county in South East England. The county town is Aylesbury, the largest town in the ceremonial county is Milton Keynes and largest town in the non-metropolitan county is High Wycombe....
.
The Church of England parish church
Church of England parish church
A parish church in the Church of England is the church which acts as the religious centre for the people within the smallest and most basic Church of England administrative region, known as a parish.-Parishes in England:...
of Saint Mary the Virgin
Mary (mother of Jesus)
Mary , commonly referred to as "Saint Mary", "Mother Mary", the "Virgin Mary", the "Blessed Virgin Mary", or "Mary, Mother of God", was a Jewish woman of Nazareth in Galilee...
has Saxon
Anglo-Saxon architecture
Anglo-Saxon architecture was a period in the history of architecture in England, and parts of Wales, from the mid-5th century until the Norman Conquest of 1066. Anglo-Saxon secular buildings in Britain were generally simple, constructed mainly using timber with thatch for roofing...
origins and notable medieval stained glass
Stained glass
The term stained glass can refer to coloured glass as a material or to works produced from it. Throughout its thousand-year history, the term has been applied almost exclusively to the windows of churches and other significant buildings...
, sculptural memorials, Georgian box pew
Box pew
Box pew is a type of church pew that is encased in panelling and was prevalent in England and other Protestant countries from the 16th to early 19th century.-History in England:...
s and memorial brasses
Monumental brass
Monumental brass is a species of engraved sepulchral memorial which in the early part of the 13th century began to partially take the place of three-dimensional monuments and effigies carved in stone or wood...
.
Waterperry House is a 17th century mansion, remodelled early in the 18th century for Sir John Curson and again around 1820. It is now a house of seven bays
Bay (architecture)
A bay is a unit of form in architecture. This unit is defined as the zone between the outer edges of an engaged column, pilaster, or post; or within a window frame, doorframe, or vertical 'bas relief' wall form.-Defining elements:...
and three storeys with a balustraded parapet and Ionic
Ionic order
The Ionic order forms one of the three orders or organizational systems of classical architecture, the other two canonic orders being the Doric and the Corinthian...
porch.
The house has extensive grounds, and until 1971 housed the Waterperry School of Horticulture under Beatrix Havergal
Beatrix Havergal
Beatrix Havergal was an English horticulturist.In 1932 Beatrix Havergal founded Waterperry School of Horticulture, a residential horticultural college for women. For many years Havergal won gold medal for her exhibit of Royal Sovereign strawberries at Chelsea Flower Show...
. The gardens are now a horticultural business and visitor destination. The 8 acres (3.2 ha) of gardens flower from May until the first frosts. The gardens also include rose and alpine gardens which include the NCCPG
National Council for the Conservation of Plants and Gardens
The National Council for the Conservation of Plants and Gardens , also known as Plant Heritage, is a botanical conservation organisation in the United Kingdom and a registered charity. It was founded in 1978 to combine the talents of botanists, horticulturalists and conservationists with the...
collection of Kabschia Saxifrages, a formal knot garden
Knot garden
A knot garden is a garden of very formal design in a square frame, consisting of a variety of aromatic plants and culinary herbs including germander, marjoram, thyme, southernwood, lemon balm, hyssop, costmary, acanthus, mallow, chamomile, rosemary, Calendulas, Violas and Santolina...
, trained fruit and nursery beds and a riverside walk. The grounds also include nurseries, orchards, plant centre and teashop. Gardening courses are still taught here. The grounds host the annual Art in Action
Art in Action at Waterperry
Art in Action is an arts and crafts festival held in the grounds of Waterperry House in Oxfordshire. For 4 days each summer artists and craftsmen set up their studios in the many marquees so that visitors can watch them at work. The public are able to question and learn from the artists, as well as...
festival of art and craft each July.
Notable Waterperry residents include comedian Rowan Atkinson
Rowan Atkinson
Rowan Sebastian Atkinson is a British actor, comedian, and screenwriter. He is most famous for his work on the satirical sketch comedy show Not The Nine O'Clock News, and the sitcoms Blackadder, Mr. Bean and The Thin Blue Line...
and equestrian writer and trainer Tina Sederholm.