Winterbourne House and Garden: an Arts and Crafts escape in Edgbaston

Just a couple of miles from the city centre, Winterbourne House and Garden feels a world away from the bustle. This Edwardian Arts and Crafts villa and its gardens, owned by the University of Birmingham, are one of the city's loveliest places to spend an unhurried afternoon.

The red-brick house was commissioned in 1903 by John Sutton Nettlefold and his wife Margaret, née Chamberlain, as a family home, and finished in 1904. It was designed by local architect Joseph Lancaster Ball. Margaret largely designed the garden herself, heavily influenced by the celebrated garden designer Gertrude Jekyll.

The university inherited Winterbourne in 1944 on the death of a later owner, John Nicolson, and for much of the twentieth century the grounds served as its botanic garden, with the Department of Botany introducing plants from around the world. After restoration, the house and garden opened to the public as a heritage site in 2010. The garden is Grade II listed.

Today the garden covers around seven acres and is full of variety. The Walled Garden grows fruit and vegetables year-round and bursts with perennials, roses and dahlias in summer. There are geographical beds representing Europe, South America, Asia and Australasia, a sunken garden, an alpine house and a Giant Redwood, while the Lean-to Glasshouse currently shows off chillies and other nightshades from around the world.

One of the most cherished corners is the sandstone rock garden, with its stream, Japanese maples and stepping stones. The Japanese Bridge and Tea House were added there by John Nicolson in the 1930s. The bridge was replaced in 2000, but its timber has since decayed, and in September 2026 Winterbourne announced that specialists are assessing how best to restore or replace it. A temporary footbridge keeps the garden accessible, and the team is inviting visitors to share their views. As they put it: "The Japanese Bridge means different things to different people, and we would love to hear your thoughts."

Autumn is a lovely time to visit, with workshops on the calendar and an RBSA on Tour exhibition of work by members of the Royal Birmingham Society of Artists.

Opening times and events are listed on the Winterbourne website.