No matter how many times I visit Nymans the house and gardens always offer something different, whatever the time of year. The ornamental gardens, with their mix of plants and borders, combine elegance with the more natural tranquillity of woodland walks.
While the rose garden is currently being restored, the perennials in the many flower borders and walled garden are coming into bloom for the summer. Across the road, the woodland area provides a peaceful escape, filled with the sound of birdsong and many trees and shrubs, including rhododendrons.
The Italianate Loggia, which is a Gothic-style building with roses climbing its stone arches. The Sunk Garden, guarded by a circle of columnar conifers, makes it a perfect setting for weddings and civil ceremonies.
Despite being ravaged by fire in February 1947, the adjoining house remains striking as it rises above the gardens and lawns.
Purchased in 1890, the Messel family developed and remodelled the house and gardens over the decades, adding many rare plants. Leonard and Maud Messel converted the wood-beam house into a mock-mediaeval stone manor. After the fire, they partly rebuilt the house, which became the home of their daughter Anne.
But it’s their son, Oliver, who’s currently in the spotlight.
After attending art school, he designed sets and costumes for theatre and film. By the 1940s, he’d become Britain’s leading designer. He spent his later years in Barbados, where he continued to create, designing a home for Princess Margaret on the island of Mustique.
From 13th June to the 1st November this year, the National Trust is running an exhibition entitled ‘The Art of Illusion – The Theatrical World of Oliver Messel’.
Spread across the first floor of the house, the exhibition of model theatre sets, paintings, and costumes celebrates his life, talent, and work designing theatrical sets and costumes.
Of particular interest is the portrait he painted of his sister, Anne.
The conservation of this portrait is featured in BBC2’s ‘Hidden Treasures of the National Trust’ series on Friday, 19th June 2026. It’s can also be watched on the BBC I-player.
There’s no charge to view this fascinating exhibition during your visit to Nymans.
Like the rest of the house and gardens, it’s an interesting glimpse into the life and world of the Messel family before it bequeathed the property to the National Trust in 1953.
