Once rundown and overgrown, Belcombe Court now perfectly blends the past with the present. Owner Paul Weiland OBE sits down with Hannah Poon to discuss how he’s reshaped the Georgian landscape without losing its original charm…
While he’s best known for his work directing the likes of Mr. Bean and Made of Honour, Paul Weiland OBE enjoys a quieter personal life, far away from the big screen. For the past 30 years, he and his wife Caroline have been restoring Belcombe Court in Bradford-on-Avon, transforming it into a Vogue-worthy setting. Tucked away in its own valley, there’s an instant feeling of grandeur to the estate. I first met Paul at the front of the house, which is lined with structural yew hedging that hides the 60 acres of parkland beyond.
As we walk through to the back terrace, the vast landscape opens before me. With a view of the lake quilted with lily pads, a Grade II-listed Doric rotunda and Regency-era grotto, it’s easy to understand the comparison to a more intimate Stourhead. We settle on the terrace, and almost immediately, a gardener leans precariously out of an upstairs window above us, secateurs in hand, wrestling with a wisteria that’s threatening to creep into the bathroom. “I’d better move before it clonks on me,” Paul laughs.
Paul and Caroline first moved to Belcombe in the early 1990s in the hope of a more idyllic, nature-led lifestyle for their children. “We were looking for a long time, potentially even a few years, and couldn’t find anything we liked. When we first saw Belcombe, I thought it was too grand, but as I walked around the corner and saw the view of the valley, I just knew it was right,” he says. “What I hadn’t quite realised was how much work it was going to be, but I think it needed a certain level of naivety.”
Being a film director, you don’t always get it right on the first take, but it’s a lot easier to get an actor to do another take than it is to get a landscape to start again.
Before their arrival, the estate had fallen into disrepair after more than 20 years of neglect. Now, it’s a harmonious blend of architectural design and horticultural craft. Belcombe was first built for the Yerbury family in the 18th century, and as their fortunes grew, so did the estate. In 1728, John Yerbury’s son, Francis, took over the property and began developing the house and gardens into what they are today. Francis added features such as the dovecote and rotunda to elevate the setting, likely drawing inspiration from nearby gardens – including Stourhead. Over the years, Paul has uncovered many buried secrets and brought long-forgotten treasures back to life.
One of the more remarkable finds came in 2019, when Paul and his team went looking for a brook mentioned in a document dating back to 1734. There was no trace of it above ground, but after clearing brambles and undergrowth in the woodland, they found the original springs still there, choked but very much alive. Once freed, the water found its way again, now tumbling down a stone cascade into a pond the family dug themselves during the pandemic. “I felt a lot of responsibility when we took over. There’s a lot of history here, and we weren’t the most obvious choice of neighbours at the time,” Paul says. While the house did need a lot of work, it’s the gardens that are arguably Paul’s legacy here. And yet, growing up in urban London, neither he nor Caroline were particularly green-fingered when they arrived.
By his own account, their knowledge was limited to hanging baskets and windowsill boxes. It was undoubtedly the director in him that saw the beauty and opportunity the grounds had to offer. Working with a talented team of gardeners and designer Arne Maynard, Paul has left no stone unturned. However, he quickly learnt the hardest lesson in cultivating a landscape. “You do something, you get it wrong. You have to try something else. But there’s something enjoyable about that,” he says. “I did the walled garden three times. I put a big greenhouse in the middle and realised it was overpowering, so it came out. Being a film director, you don’t always get it right on the first take, but it’s a lot easier to get an actor to do another take than it is to get a landscape to start again.”
There’s a degree of choreography in the design, and each area has been meticulously planned and planted to reflect Paul’s vision. ➲ Embracing the element of surprise, there’s something behind every corner to take your breath away. Belcombe is a place of wonder and enchantment, honouring the past while embracing the present. “My job as a director was all about getting a reaction from people. Whether it was to laugh or cry, you want to make people feel something. In a way, it’s the same with the garden. We’re not open to the public, but we do host events so people can see it. We also host up to six high-end weddings a year. Sometimes I walk around and think that more people should get to see it,” Paul tells me.
Beyond the formal borders and main lawn, there’s an entirely different side to the garden: a working plot that was little more than an abandoned allotment when the Weilands arrived. Now it supplies cut flowers for the house every week, alongside vegetables and the tulips Paul gives away to friends and neighbours. “During the pandemic, the garden really became my guardian angel. I love flowers, and while I’d like to say it stemmed from my childhood, it mostly grew here,” Paul says.
As we walk through to the family’s more personal space (an area that is also home to Sid the tortoise), his love of flowers really comes to life. Set on a steep slope behind the house, Paul says it was a challenging space to design. After trial and error, this informal plot steadily rises with prairie-style planting and giant grassy steps. At the top is the part of Belcombe that feels genuinely private: a swimming pool, almost entirely hidden from view. “This is where the grandchildren love to be,” Paul smiles.
While Paul and Caroline have put their own contemporary stamp on Belcombe, the original Georgian magic remains intact. The estate is a place in history, and Paul sees himself as a temporary custodian, simply keeping it warm for the next generation. Unlike his professional life, there’s no calling “cut” here. Nature evolves, and each year presents different challenges. “A garden can never be finished,” he tells me. At its heart, Belcombe is a family home. One where the six – soon-to-be seven – grandchildren run freely and splash in the pool. Other than planned events, it’s not open to the public, but Paul has long wanted to share its beauty.
And now, he has. In his book A Garden Love Story, he documents the transformation of the grounds through the seasons, complete with his own mesmerising photographs.
On Friday 5 September, Paul will host a special launch with Toppings booksellers, where he’ll give guests a guided tour. Paul and his family have dedicated three decades to restoring this beautiful home – and in 2024, it was named Historic Houses’ Garden of the Year.
“The photographs in the book capture the garden in the moment. In its truest form throughout the year. It’s my slice of heaven.”
To book a place on A Garden Love Story (on 25 September) with Paul Weiland, please visit toppingbooks.co.uk | Private tour and book for £40, subject to availability.
