Anglesey Abbey, Gardens and Lode Mill

About Anglesey Abbey, Gardens and Lode Mill

Anglesey Abbey began as a medieval priory and became a house in the early 17th century. In 1926 Huttleston Broughton, later the 1st Lord Fairhaven, and his brother bought it with 45 acres of land. Lord Fairhaven lived here until his death in 1966, filling the house with art and turning the grounds into a garden designed to have something to show guests in every season.

His layout is formal and generous: long, straight avenues of trees with a statue at the end of each view, circular and symmetrical garden rooms, and one of the country's notable collections of garden sculpture. The National Trust has since added features of its own, including the Winter Garden in 1998 and a significant snowdrop collection.

What to see

• Winter Garden: a long, narrow walk of coloured stems, bark and scent, finishing in a grove of silver birches.
• Snowdrops and spring bulbs: a large snowdrop collection, then daffodils on the main drive and Coronation Avenue and blue and white hyacinths in the Formal Garden.
• Rose Garden and Herbaceous Border: the rose garden was extended in 2024; the semicircular border, enclosed by beech hedges, dates from the 1950s.
• Dahlia Garden: around 60 varieties, open in summer.
• Avenues, meadows and riverside: hornbeams on Jubilee Avenue, about 25 acres of wildflower meadow and autumn colour along Quy Water.
• Lode Mill: a watermill on the estate.

Planning your visit

Anglesey Abbey is at Lode, off the B1102 and reached from junction 35 of the A14. The car park is free, with accessible and family bays and EV chargers, and the visitor centre is about 50 yards away. Some older sat navs do not recognise the postcode, so entering "Lode" may help.

Facilities include the Redwoods Restaurant, a shop, a plant centre, a second-hand bookshop and a woodland play area. Several garden paths have level access, and wheelchairs and mobility vehicles can be hired. Volunteer guides lead free garden tours on weekdays. Some rooms in the house are temporarily closed, and in October 2026 the upstairs is open by guided tour only.