The Benedictine monks of Reading Abbey set out the first gardens at Bucklebury in the twelfth century, creating an elaborate system of seven fishponds (two on Bucklebury Common) which feed into one another. The monks planted a range of herbs and flowers for medicinal purposes. The Winchcombe family set out more formal gardens and parkland including a walled kitchen garden and a bowling green.

The gardens fell into a derelict state following the fire at Bucklebury House in 1832 when the family moved to their other home, Lyegrove, in Gloucestershire.

It was not until the early 1990’s that the gardens were redesigned from what was pony paddocks. The principle of the design was to create a series of rooms that would connect with each other. A freelance gardener, Trevor Last (formerly Head Gardener at The Old Rectory, Burghfield) set about creating the hard structure delineated by gravel paths, brick walls, steps and yew hedges.

The gardens envelop the house and now connect the monastic fishponds and ancient parkland surrounding the house. A major part of the project was the restoration of the Walled Kitchen garden which is set out in a symmetrical design using box hedging. Vegetables, fruit and flowers are now grown for the house.

The formal gardens are divided into “rooms”. There is a Potager Garden (herb garden), a Maze Garden (created in the shape of a circle and constructed of turf and bricks) with an obelisk in the middle commemorating the millennium. The main garden to the South of the House is set down to lawn with herbaceous borders; this connects to the Spring Garden. The Spring Garden is planted with spring bulbs which then rotate into a wild flower meadow in summer. The Spring Garden connects to the Woodland Garden, medieval fishponds and parkland beyond. The main thoroughfare through the garden is the Long Walk which connects the Main House with the Fishponds and divides the Walled Garden from the more formal “rooms”. These are accessed through an apple and pear walk trained in a semi arch thus providing shade from the summer sun. The Monastic garden consists of a square pleached lime cloister with a sunken circular garden with a Glastonbury Thorn in the middle. At the rear of the Monastic garden and Maze garden is a Hazel Walk that connects the Potager Garden with the Fishponds.

Complimenting the formal gardens are large areas of open lawns and parkland.

The original drive to the House was replanted with Oak Trees in 1992 which makes a pleasant approach to the House from the North.

The gardens continue to evolve with new plantings and trees. In 2009 new climbing fruit trees were planted in the walled garden. In 2010 a number of new oaks were planted in the Parkland to the East of the House and a new fruit cage was constructed in the walled garden.

Willie Hartley Russell MVO occasionally opens the gardens to the public for charitable causes.