My country life: Arthur Parkinson

Arthur Parkinson is best known as a gardener, writer, illustrator and photographer. He trained at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. He has appeared on Gardeners’ World, co-founded the successful podcast Grow, Cook, Eat, Arrange, teaches container gardening at Create Academy online and is the author of several books, including the bestselling The Flower Yard and Chicken Boy. On his Instagram account, he shares his gardening year and environmental concerns. 

Where do you live?
I live in Filkins, a small village near Burford in Oxfordshire. I’m a cuckoo in the Cotswolds nest of the interior designer James Mackie. I love the energy James directs towards his craft and his incredible eye for detail. The cottage is like something out of a Beatrix Potter book and would be full of animal characters if I were let loose.

Can you describe your house?
It always smells nice: James is a magician and he loves those terracotta scented pomegranates. I like to have foraged or homegrown flowers around the place. I’m currently potting up forced narcissus bulbs so we have living scented blooms in January and February to bring inside. I’m very lucky to live in such a beautiful house and that’s all due to James’s incredible work. I like to tease him and add bits of my tat – a gecko from Madrid comes out of a drawer to play sometimes. 

Is there a house locally that you covet? 
I love Chatsworth and there are a few places on the estate that I’ve known since I was little, particularly Park Cottage, which looks out onto Edensor. Before I moved in here with James, my existence felt like something out of Dickens. I moved away from home to study, but I was lonely. What matters most is hot water, a cup of tea, good food, a garden full of bees and love. I would probably say I miss the houses I have known, rather than coveting those of the present. 

Which are your favourite pubs and shops in the area?
I think Carole Bamford’s food offer at Daylesford is great if you’re conscious about what you are eating. Many of us don’t value food as we should. Cackleberry Farm, run by my friends Paddy and Steph Bourns, produces the most ethical eggs you can buy – they are truly free range. We’re lucky to have the Bell Inn in Langford, which has a cosy atmosphere and a great menu. And the Burford Garden Co is like a wonderful John Lewis. It has a great food hall and book department, and a brilliant array of plants and bulbs.

Local galleries and museums?
I choose living things over manmade. I like the Cotswold Wildlife Park & Gardens: it seems to announce the birth of precious rhino calves every two years and it’s wonderful to visit and see these little tanklike toddlers, the size of a small car, bouncing around their huge grazing mothers. 

The walled garden there is beautifully planted and has aviaries with gloriously plumed birds and the most endearing little monkeys, all, alas, so rare. I like Kelmscott Manor, the home of the Arts and Crafts designer William Morris, though it’s sad that they don’t allow any real flowers inside from the garden – water and antique surfaces don’t mix well. In Kelmscott village in spring, the little churchyard is carpeted with beautiful primroses – they’re so cheerful in their yellows and pinks.

What are your favourite things to do in the country?
I like to do what my head wants to do on the day. I love looking after my hens and gardening – they take up a lot of time – and trying to write, as well as drawing. I’m happy working to a schedule, with a deadline for something, or travelling for an event.  

How much time do you spend in the city?
I go to London if I have to, mostly for work, but part of me likes finding beauty in the city too. I love the parks, especially Regent’s and St James’s, and the lonely peacock I go and see in Holland Park. I like to visit London Zoo as often as time allows because I want to support our zoological societies and highlight the conservation work that they do across the world. I should have been a zoo keeper, really. 

What do you love most about where you live?
I think it’s amazing on a winter’s evening to see the high street in Burford lit up like something out of a Christmas movie – it’s what much of the world imagines England to be. I love my neighbours, Jimmy and Charlotte, too – they have hens, most of which have been gifted by me as they let me use their greenhouse. It’s a godsend. Will I be here for ever? No. I’m a reclusive Midlander at heart, but I’m lucky to have James, which is why I am here.

@arthurparkinson

jjamesmackie.com