Charles Gillette and Agecroft's Gardens

Charles Gillette drew on several of the landscape traditions he studied while in Europe. Therefore, the gardens we have at Agecroft are not designed to represent one particular time period, but rather create the variety that one would see at a grand European estate where the gardens were developed over centuries.

Gillette’s main design feature was to treat the gardens and house as one unit. The gardens at Agecroft are set up to function as “rooms” for the house. This is reminiscent of the enclosed garden style that was popular during the Tudor era. Gillette’s designs separated the gardens by using hedges and vine covered lattices. Another important feature of these gardens were the details that were scattered throughout the property. Gillette used statuary and fountains extensively on the grounds. If you visit Agecroft today, you can see many of these features, which have been carefully maintained throughout the years.