How a sweet malted milk gave rise to the finest garden in Edwardian England

'It’s no use going back to yesterday, because I was a different person then,' said Alice to the Caterpillar during her Adventures in Wonderland. And so, too, would it be useless in trying to re-create the magnificent gardens at Cowley Manor, Gloucestershire, as they were when Country Life published an article on them in 1906.

Lewis Carroll was said to have gained inspiration for his famous tale of transitioning from childhood to adolescence while staying at the nearby Cowley Rectory. During his time in the Cotswold idyll, he was permitted to wander through the high-Victorian, heavily-manicured gardens of Cowley Manor. Their fantastical scale and exoticism were believed to have fed into the author’s imaginary world that he later created.

Situated to the south front of the lofty manor house, the impressive terraced gardens — said to be based on the Villa Borghese in Rome — tumbled down to a lake fed by two of seven springs said to be the source of the River Thames. Another source fed the dramatic water cascades, which saw pure spring water gush from the mouths of lions, past stone eagles and into another ornamental lake in the pleasure grounds.

By 1906, when Country Life paid a visit, the vast property was in the possession of a man who, along with his brother, had made their fortune from selling spring water. Well, spring water mixed with malted wheat and dried milk.

The drink was originally called Diastoid, which, frankly, sounded dire. Wisely, the decision was taken to use the family name instead, and James and William’s beverage launched first in Racine, Wisconsin, USA, and then in Slough, UK. It was a huge success. Their surname? Horlick.

The Horlicks had been born in Ruardean, some 26 miles west of Cowley Manor. They had both moved to the USA to make their fortune, with James returning to England in 1890 in search of a property in which to invest some of his new-found wealth.

James Horlick bought Cowley Manor in 1895, vastly extending the square house on the site built by James Hutchinson in 1850.

By the time Horlick had finished, his new country seat included a 65 feet by 40 feet ballroom, 31 bed and dressing rooms, six bathrooms and, by the 20th century, electric light powered by the property’s ever-present water. But Horlick’s main passion was the outdoors.

By 1906, he had planted a pheonomenal 700,000 trees on his land and the surrounding area. Roses were, according to the article of 1906, 'everywhere to be seen', and his statue-festooned terraces were ornamented in the distinctly dated (by that time) Victorian style of potted shrubs and seasonal annuals.

The grounds were graced by all manner of exotic creatures. Imported parrots, macaws and Australian swans were among the collection of non-native birds to be found in the grounds. And grazing majestically in the distance from his magnificent water gardens was Horlick’s prize herd of English Shorthorn cattle.

Despite all this magnificence, Horlick decided to sell in 1911, with adverts appearing in Country Life marketing the house, pleasure gardens, village, woodlands and the local George Hotel at Birdlip all to go as one lot.

The newly-knighted Sir James Horlick then retreated to the south coast, renting at first the famous West Dean house and gardens, before eventually ending up at Kidbrooke Park.

Cowley didn’t sell, so, by 1915, he took the decision to rent his Cotswold home out. It was leased to Mrs Enriqueta Angela Scully until 1929. In 1921, Sir James died.

The property was inherited by one of his sons, Sir Ernest, who had to take legal action against Scully in 1927, where she was found guilty of not keeping the ornamental lakes and boat house clear of mud. Ordered to pay £300 (just shy of £17,000 in 2026) to make good the lakes and a further £20 (£1,122) for the deterioration of the fishing water, she relinquished her tenancy.

In 1928, Cowley Manor was put back on the market for the 'sacrificial price' of £14,500 (£813,714.89), eventually heading to and being withdrawn from an auction after it only garnered bids amounting to £7,500. There was talk of demolition.

In March 1929, however, it was bought by a local man for an undisclosed sum. From there, it changed hands once more before going into service as first a school, then a care home for the remainder of the 20th century.

Cowley Manor’s formal Victorian gardens have long-since disappeared, but the house and grounds are once more thriving in the form of a throughly modern luxury hotel. And Sir James Horlick’s ornamental lakes remain a very good spot by which to enjoy a drink accompanied by a good book.

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