In its 90th year, the gardens at the Glyndebourne opera house continue to impress and enchant visitors.
Ninety years have passed since John Christie and his opera singer wife Audrey Mildmay introduced opera to their Glyndebourne home, located near Lewes in East Sussex. This unique integration of the arts within a striking natural setting is unmatched, even though other country houses have adopted the concept since then.
Managed by the Christie family for three generations since 1934, Glyndebourne is a place where family life and the demands of visitors, staff (which include 120 permanent members ranging from costume makers to caterers and gardeners), performers, and technical crew harmoniously coexist with the enchanting environment that elevates the spirits of all who come.
‘A touch of playfulness is key in a garden like this’
John Hoyland, the gardens adviser for 15 years, views the gardens as the opera house’s welcoming space; they tease the forthcoming theatre experience and sustain the spell even after the curtains have closed. Certain areas are dedicated to serenity, providing solace to audiences needing a moment of peace post-performance, such as those recovering from Poulenc’s intense Dialogues des Carmelites last year.
The gardens have been thoughtfully designed to accentuate pieces like Henry Moore’s Draped Reclining Woman, which is on loan from Tate. Trees have been selectively removed to offer unobstructed views toward the distinctively red-bricked, oval opera house created by Sir Michael Hopkins in 1994.
Commissioning the new opera house was among the final significant contributions by Sir George Christie, who succeeded his father in 1962. Alongside his wife Mary, an avid gardener, they implemented numerous modifications over the years. Since 2000, their son, Gus Christie, has taken over as executive chairman. Living at Glyndebourne with his family, he aims to maintain the property’s cherished traditions and vast landscape.
The Urn Garden, masterminded by Christopher Lloyd, provides brilliant colour throughout the season, with new dense planting schemes. Credit: Mimi Connolly
The Christie family has always valued the gardens, with John forming a close friendship with Vita Sackville-West and Mary cherishing advice from Christopher Lloyd. John Hoyland acknowledges the responsibility of upholding this legacy while also integrating new elements.
Frequent visitors might observe that the initial tree-lined driveway has been enhanced. Adjustments have been made due to ash dieback, and new hornbeams have been planted. The coach arrival experience has improved, presenting guests with a path through meadows and rose arches before they reach the vibrant flower borders.
‘The gardens are an extension of the theatre, predicting the excitement ahead and prolonging the enchantment after the final act’
In between the season-long colourful perennials, columns of narrow-leaved laurel Prunus lusitanica ‘Myrtifolia’ are strategically placed to mimic old yew lines and gradually unveil the sprawling view of the South Downs.
Simple yet effective enhancements have been implemented. The original structure of the dressing rooms, now made visible by removing the covering greenery, exhibits a striking redbrick and rough-stone façade, mirroring local architectural traditions and now serving as functional office space for opera staff.
While bringing an Edwardian house into harmony with a modern garden is a challenge, recent changes have unified the gardens and added a contemporary touch. Overbearing Edwardian yew hedges have been selectively trimmed or cleared, and playful elements like topiary have been introduced to the croquet lawn.
As nocturnal ambience wasn’t previously a concern for this private garden, lighting is now subtly incorporated to guide guests post-performance. With access to theatre lighting experts and custom metalwork crafted by Glynde village blacksmiths, the integration is seamless.
In other areas, meadows have been allowed to flourish around the lake, and seating for picnickers has been added amidst the wildflowers. The landscape gains an organic richness from species like bee orchids naturally thriving in these settings.
The garden team, led by head gardener Kevin Martin and consisting of six full-time gardeners, each responsible for a specific section, focuses on sustainability, avoiding chemicals, and hand-weeding. Despite the naturally tough soil, years of nurturing the soil have yielded fertile ground that requires minimal watering. The gardeners propagate their own plants and mainly rely on local nurseries for trees and large shrubs.
A modest garden for dye-producing plants has been established at the property’s periphery. This garden, which includes subdued species like madder and Genista tinctoria, serves as a source for natural dyes used in creating the costumes and wigs for Glyndebourne productions, thereby supporting local craftsmanship.
The garden vista brings your gaze to the Red Border, deliberately situated across the lawns by Lloyd, who planned this area for such visual impact. His “fiery” design has seen new additions: cotoneaster towers and the smoke bush Cotinus coggygria ‘Royal Purple’ enrich the depth of the look, while Crocosmia ‘Hellfire’ has been introduced to prolong the red palette after ‘Lucifer’ has faded.
In the Urn Garden, another of Lloyd’s designs, fragrant plant varieties fill the beds, and the surrounding tall hedges help to trap their scents. The four Stipa gigantea originally planted by Lloyd continue to stand tall and maintain the garden’s intended design.
Below the Urn Garden lies the Mary Christie Rose Garden, realized as a tribute to Mary Christie’s fifty years of devotion to Glyndebourne. Opened in 2015, shortly before her death, it converted a simple lawn area into a mesmerizing display of roses blooming from early spring to late autumn.
The Bourne Garden, designed by Mary Christie and Mary Keen, welcomes visitors with dramatic, exotic plant species like tree ferns, mimosa, and echiums—creating an impact upon arrival at the opera house. These plant choices were quite novel to many when the garden welcomed its first visitors in 1994, during the opera house’s inauguration. Though some trees now exceed their allotted space and certain tender plants have succumbed to recent cold winters, plans are in place to rejuvenate the garden with new, rare plant species. This evolution promises to captivate future generations of Glyndebourne visitors.
