Benton End is the former home of celebrated artist and gardener Sir Cedric Morris (1889 – 1982) and his partner, artist, Arthur Lett-Haines (1894–1978). Located in Hadleigh, Suffolk, their Tudor Manor House, frequently visited by esteemed friends such as Elizabeth David, Vita Sackville-West, Constance Spry, Benjamin Britten, and Peter Pears, became the East Anglian School of Painting and Drawing. Renowned as one of the most illustrious art schools of the era, it nurtured artists such as Lucian Freud and Maggi Hambling.
In his lifetime, Morris became better known as a gardener than an artist. The garden at Benton End was influential for its naturalistic style, with rare plants collected and cultivated by Morris. Famous for his bearded irises, Morris named over 90 cultivars, many of which carry the ‘Benton’ prefix. A sanctuary for learning, artistic expression, and horticulture, Benton End was haven for wildlife, plants, and people.
Benton End was majority gifted to the Garden Museum in 2021 with the intention that the house and garden might be revived and opened once again, as a place of learning, art and horticulture.
According to the Garden Museum, the grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund will allow them to complete the first phase of the project development work, which includes carrying out surveys, drawing up architectural and conservation plans, further investigating the roof and fabric of the building, and working up activity and business plans. Subsequently, the funding will enable them museum to carry out the restoration and adaptation work required and to deliver a programme of activities and engagement.
Without the funding, Benton End’s special identity and heritage as a nationally-renowned former art school and garden of horticultural significance was at risk of being lost, said the Garden Museum. Charles Spicer, chair of the Benton End Board and trustee of the Garden Museum, said: “We are delighted and honoured that the National Lottery Heritage Fund has chosen to support our ambitious plans to restore and revive Benton End as a vital centre of art, horticulture, food and learning in the heart of historic Suffolk.”
Bridget and Rob Pinchbeck of the Pinchbeck Charitable Trust, who majority gifted Benton End to the Garden Museum in 2021 said: “Rob and I would like to express our extreme gratitude to everyone at the Garden Museum for securing a National Lottery Heritage Fund grant for Benton End. Our faith in the Director, Christopher Woodward, the Trustees and in all the members of the team, who have worked so hard, has been more than justified. As you can imagine, we are thrilled with the result! We thank you once again from the bottom of our hearts. And now the work begins…”
Beatrice Prosser-Snelling, Benton End Project Director said: “It is fabulous to have been successful in our round one application and we can’t wait to get started. This grant from the Heritage Fund will allow us to develop our plans, complete key surveys and meet planning and architectural milestones. Benton End is a truly special place and we are keen to share it with the wider public. However, the house requires significant repairs, maintenance and intervention to make it work as a cultural site equipped for visitors. That’s why this grant is so important, and it represents the start of a very exciting project. We’re grateful to the Heritage Fund and to National Lottery Players, as well as all of the Benton End and Garden Museum supporters.”
The Garden Museum plans to open the gardens at Benton End to the public once again in the summer of 2026, ahead of redeveloping the house. The museum’s appeal to restore the gardens is ongoing.
