Painswick Rococo Garden was an extravagant outdoor space for the owners and guests of Painswick House back in the mid 18th century. Today the garden is open to visitors with various family-orientated things to do, as well as being a top outdoor wedding venue.
Painswick Rococo Garden is situated on the edge of Painswick town, often referred to as the ‘Queen of The Cotswolds’ for its abundance of charming honey-coloured buildings that’s typical of this area.
The Rococo Style
Rococo was a highly decorative fashion that swept through Europe in the 18th century with the upper class. It was later toned down as society began to reject such elaborate displays of wealth.
Painswick Rococo Garden’s style evolved with the times until it was abandoned altogether in the 1950’s, but fortunately a few decades later it was restored for us to enjoy today.
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Seasons and weather in Painswick
Your experience at Painswick Rococo Garden will vary depending on the time of year you visit as the seasons bring out different vegetation and flowers.
Late January usually sees the first snowdrops bloom, and by February they can have over 5 million of them! With spring comes warmer weather in Painswick, and more colours begin to emerge in the form of daffodils, tulips and bluebells.
Warm and sunny picnic weather is most likely between July, July and August when Britain is at its most green.
You can view a seasonal guide of the gardens on their website to plan your visit accordingly – and of course it would be worth checking the local weather forecast for Painswick as a lot of your time will be spent outdoors.
Facilities at Painswick Rococo Garden
Beyond the landscaped gardens, carefully looked after by volunteers and the Friends of the Garden organisation, families can enjoy seasonal activities (like Easter trails), woodland walks, play areas, a maze* and picnic spots.
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There’s also an onsite cafe serving homemade cake and hot drinks, plus a gift shop with plants available to purchase.
Visiting Painswick Rococo Garden during Covid-19 Pandemic*
At the time of publishing visitors have to pre-book tickets in advance and pay on the day in order to ensure social distancing measures can be maintained with staggered arrival times.
There’s an onsite car park with temporary portable toilets, and you can purchase food and drinks from the cafe to takeaway or dine outdoors on the provided picnic benches. In order to ensure guest safety the maze at Painswick Rococo Garden was temporarily closed.
The ticket prices for Painswick Rococo Garden
Adult admission is currently £9.30, children are £4.75, and discounts and group tickets are available – see their website for the most up to date information including opening hours, directions and accessibility.
How to get to Painswick Rococo Garden
Painswick is just north of the market town of Stroud and 8 miles by road from Junction 12 of the M5 motorway, which connects the area to Birmingham in the north and Bristol to the South. The postcode for Painswick Rococo Garden is GL6 6TH.
The journey time to Painswick from London by car is approximately two and a half hours, so it would be worth booking an overnight or extended stay as there are plenty of quaint towns and villages to explore in this area.
To get here via public transport, the nearest train station is in Stroud where you can pick up the #66 bus or order a taxi.
Places to stay near Painswick Rococo Garden
Painswick is a fairly large town for The Cotswolds with numerous B&B’s and hotels to choose from, including The Little Fleece (run by the National Trust), The Falcon Inn, Court House Manor and The Painswick Hotel and Restaurant.
Other places of interest near Painswick Rococo Garden
- Arlington Row in Bibury (23 miles)
- The historic market town of Cirencester (16 miles)
- Cotswold Country Park & Beach (21 miles)
- Gloucester Cathedral (7 miles)
- Woodchester Park (10 miles)
Very much worth a visit when the flowers are in full bloom. And the church graveyard is the best kept one I have ever seen.