Old Thatch, a 17th-century thatched cottage, is situated close to the River Thames on the edge of the Chiltern Hills, between Marlow and Bourne End. Beloved home to the world famous author Enid Blyton from 1929-1938, it was where she was inspired to write over forty books and plays, as well as a series called The Old Thatch. Enid was delighted by the garden and soon set about making it her own until she left in 1938.

Old Thatch is now owned by the garden designer Jacky Hawthorne who has enhanced the spirit of Old Thatch and introduced structure to the garden while at the same time preserved a sense of the past. The lovely grey, sagging wood of the old arbour has been retained, as has the original well, an enticing glimpse of a former way of living.

The unusual shape of the garden, which is just under two acres, lends itself naturally to the creation of different areas. There are different types of gardens within Old Thatch which will you will discover as you wander around – from formal to informal, from mono-colour to multi-colour.

The gardens include the Umbellifer Garden, the Formal Garden, the Water Garden, the Lavender Terrace and the Rose Arbour. The Cottage Garden is designed around a stone circle and a small circular pond built by Enid Blyton.

Old Thatch is very much a garden in progress but whatever new gardens are created the sense of the past will continue to be cherished.