Iford Manor near Bath was home to garden designer/architect Harold Peto from 1899 until 1933 when he died. He put his theories into practise to create a beautiful terraced garden on the hillside at the manor. He wrote a book about it too: The Boke of Iford. I was hopeful of finding a version of this on sale at the garden, but we found only very delicious ice-cream and cold ginger beer. 
Limestone was evident in the flowerbeds (we were told that the soil is clay) and the flowers this August included several hydrangeas as well as Japanese anemones, salvias, Sisyrinchium, wisteria (as a hedge and as a climber) and others that I could only guess at. We had a good scramble round the staircases and many paths of this garden on one of the warmer days of this summer. The various garden buildings and structures provided shade, interest and focal-points. The Cloisters (pictured) are in a Medieval style while the gazebo is of its time (C18th) as is the limestone colonnade (early C20th, pictured): there is sufficient space and probably some clever planning so that these elements somehow do not clash. Upon straying from the garden through a stone archway I was reminded somehow by the shape of the walls of leaving the ancient city of Emporium despite that being of course on a much larger scale, and so here again I think there was some architectural magic. The sound of water falling into a pool made a pause in a patch of shade on a grassy bank almost ridiculously idyllic. There is a small orchard and an area of box woodland. While I would not call this garden manicured (there were several hatted people hard at work while we were there), our visit was enjoyable and a privilege.
For a little more info.:
Jane Balfour (1997) Harold Peto and his garden at Ilford Manor, website of the Association of Gardens Trusts, accessed 13July2016
Historic England (2003) Iford Manor, accessed 17July2016
Jean Vernon (text) and Heather Edwards (photos) (2015) Italianate gardens of Ilford Manor, website of Period Living, accessed 13July2016
Limestone Garden 