Great Ruffins garden added to National Heritage List

This Grade II* listing recognises the garden as the only remaining landscape designed by celebrated architect Arthur Heygate Mackmurdo.

The garden was created in 1903 as part of Mackmurdo's family home, and is a rare example of a suburban arts and crafts landscape.

Tony Calladine, Historic England's East of England regional director, said: "Arts and crafts gardens like Great Ruffins have had a great influence on British garden design.

The garden was designed by architect Arthur Heygate Mackmurdo (Image: The Historic England Archive, Historic England) "The arts and crafts movement emphasised harmony between buildings and landscapes, principles that continue to inspire designers and gardeners today.

"The protection of Great Ruffins Garden means that it will continue to be seen and enjoyed in the Essex landscape it was designed to complement, for generations to come."

Mackmurdo designed the landscape to reflect his social beliefs, representing harmonious living through its panoramic views and varied terrains.

With dramatic views, the garden descends through formal areas near the Grade II*-listed house to more rustic woodland walks, then on to open countryside.

From the tower of Great Ruffins house, views can be seen across the gardens and wider landscape.

The Grade II* listing recognises the garden's exceptional design qualities, and the near-complete survival of its original layout.

A terrace, a series of garden rooms, a sunken rockery, a cedar avenue, and a bowling green surrounded by clipped yew hedges all remain intact.

Mackmurdo and his wife, Eliza, never lived at Great Ruffins due to financial difficulties.

By 1920, he had sold the house and moved to a cottage on nearby Goat Lane.

Lionel Bailly, the current owner of Great Ruffins, said: "In these times where less and less value seems to be placed on the creation of beauty and the need for lived spaces to be harmonious with the natural environment, we are so pleased that Historic England has recognised this garden as worthy of protection.

"It gives us such joy to be custodians of this property and we hope it will continue to give pleasure to others for generations to come."

Arthur Heygate Mackmurdo, who lived between 1851 and 1942, was a notable designer, artist, and architect within the arts and crafts movement.

He co-founded the Century Guild of Artists in 1882 and was interested in social issues, becoming the founding secretary of the Rural Community Council for Essex in 1929.

In April 1926 he published a book, The Human Hive: Its Life and Law', pleading for living wages and pensions fixed by the state, as well as replacing a gold-based monetary system with food vouchers.