This former family retreat has been renowned for its gardens for almost a century.

What makes Long Hill a special place?
In 1916, this 114-acre hillside property attracted Atlantic Monthly editor and publisher Ellery Sedgwick and his wife for its lovely views of the rural North Shore. But Mabel Cabot Sedgwick, an accomplished gardener and horticulturist, had more ambitious – and aesthetic – ideas.

As the couple formulated plans for the elegant Federal-style home that would become their summer retreat, Mabel Sedgwick also set about designing gardens and landscape amenities that are renowned a century later.

After her death in 1937, her vision was sustained and expanded by the second Mrs. Sedgwick, the former Marjorie Russell, a rare plants specialist, who added new and rare species of trees and shrubs to the estate, some introduced by the Arnold Arboretum in Jamaica Plain.

The gardens are laid out in a series of separate garden “rooms” surrounding the handsome, Federal-style, brick house. Each “room” is distinct in its own way, accented by ornaments and statuary.

Today, the gardens retain the “Garden for Living”–style with integrated outdoor rooms, mature plantings that blend into the surrounding woodlands, and a spirit of innovation in horticulture.

To design their indoor living space, the Sedgwicks hired the Boston firm of Richardson, Barrott and Richardson. The family wanted to bring the outdoors in, and they decorated the rooms with lovely murals of garden scenes and flowers. Its interiors also boast elegant woodwork and mantelpieces from the Isaac Ball House in Charleston, South Carolina.

The gardens are flanked on all sides by more than 100 acres of woodland as well as an apple orchard, meadow, children’s garden, and agricultural fields, including a 2-acre organic vegetable farm run by The Food Project as a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) project.

Trails
A popular 1.2-mile main loop trail – great for families – passes through quintessentially New England woodlands dotted by vernal pools and imposing boulders.

When to Visit
Year-round, daily, 8am to 5pm. Allow a minimum of 1½ hours. Peak bloom in May and June. Guided tours are offered in spring, summer, and fall. See Programs for details.

Facilities
The Sedgwick Garden Library contains an extensive collection of horticultural periodicals and books that may be loaned to Trustees members. Nonmembers may use the library for reference. Please call 978.921.1944 for appointment.

Regulations & Advisories

Please observe the rules and regulations when you visit.

• Mountain biking is not allowed.
  
  
• Dogs must be kept on leash at all times.
  
  
• The main house serves as the Northeast Regional office for The Trustees of Reservations. Open 9-5, Monday through Friday. Restroom available.

Directions

572 Essex Street
Beverly, MA
Telephone: 978.921.1944
E-mail: neregion@ttor.org

Get directions on Google Maps.

From Rt. 128 Exit 18, take Rt. 22 North 1 mi. Bear left at split in road and continue for 0.2 mi. on Essex Street to entrance on left (street number 572 is on the brick pillars). Parking area (50 cars) is up the driveway on left.

Admission

When to Visit
Year-round, daily, 8am to 5pm. Allow a minimum of 1½ hours. Peak bloom in May and June. Guided tours are offered in spring, summer, and fall. See Programs for details.

Admission
FREE to all 

Property History

In 1916, Atlantic Monthly editor/publisher Ellery Sedgwick bought a working farm on a Beverly hillside, where he built a grand summer retreat for his family. Under the expert guidance of his wife, Mabel Cabot Sedgwick, and Marjorie Russell Sedgwick (who married Ellery Sedgwick after the death of his first wife), the Long Hill gardens gained an international reputation.

Property Acquisition History
Gift of Theodora Sedgwick Bond, Henrietta E.S. Lockwood, Ellery Sedgwick, Jr., and S. Cabot Sedgwick in 1979. Gift of 0.4 acre by Raymond and Linda Gosselin in 1994.

Programs

The Long Hill Horticulture Center offers botanically inspired, hands-on workshops, in-depth garden tours, and a range of garden programs and events for adults, children, and families. Check our events calendar for a full listing of upcoming programs at the Center.

Tours
Free guided tours are offered in spring and guided group tours are by appointment. Group tours are $5 per person; minimum of 20 people of $100.

Workshops and Programs for Garden Clubs
The Long Hill Horticulture Center offers a range f programs and workshops for garden clubs, such as pruning, trough making, and invasive plant identification. Please contact bzschau@ttor.org or call 978.921.1944 x4018 for a list of garden club workshops.

Volunteer Opportunities

Work Parties

Maps and Resources

Self-guided landscape tour brochure distributed free from the bulletin board in the parking area. 

You can also download a map of the gardens and of the woodland trails before you visit.

Private Functions

Professional photography, such as wedding photographs or family portraits, is permitted on the property by reservation. Such photography is subject to a contract and fee. 

An Exquisite Setting for an Intimiate Wedding Ceremony
White trellises laden with flowering clematis vines, French iron pavilions surrounded by elegant boxwood hedges, and profusely blooming garden beds are some of Long Hill’s signature wedding backdrops.  Long Hill, one of 100 beautiful properties around the state owned and cared for by The Trustees of Reservations, encompasses over 100 acres of natural woodland, with 5 acres of impeccably maintained garden rooms surrounding a stately brick mansion built by the Sedgwick Family in 1923. Whether you prefer the open vistas offered by the croquet lawn or the intimate surroundings of the horseshoe garden, Long Hill provides a serene and beautiful setting for your special day. Plan your early spring ceremony under falling petals of weeping cherries, magnolias, and dogwoods or your summer ceremony among the roses, lavender, and wisteria. Peak bloom times are mid-May through September. 

The Sedgwick Estate at Long Hill provides bathroom facilities, electrical access for music, and rooms for the wedding party to use prior to the ceremony but unfortunately cannot accommodate receptions. All ceremonies are held outside between April 15 and October 31. Ceremony fee is $500 for 2 hours, and includes 50 chairs as well as the services of an on-site staff member. 100 guests maximum, no food or drink, and tents are not allowed. Most people book alternate ceremony plans in case of rain. Please contact Beth Zschau for more information or call 978.921.1944 x4018.

Planning Your Visit

Before You Go
We encourage you to visit as many Trustees properties as you can.

Wherever your travels take you, please observe all posted regulations, follow special instructions from property staff, and keep in mind the Stewardship Code:

• Protect wildlife and plants.
• Guard against all risk of fire.
• Help keep air and water clean.
• Carry out what you carry in.
• Use marked footpaths and bridle paths.
• Leave livestock, crops, and machinery alone.
• Respect the privacy of neighboring land.
• Enjoy and share the landscape with others.

Click on links below for further visitor information:

Before Setting Out

Enjoying Trustees Reservations

Safety

Hunting on Trustees of Reservations Properties

Tell Us What You Think

We’d love to hear about your visit. Click here to take our visitor survey. If you have a question for us about this reservation, you can use this form to send it to us, too.

Share your experiences with other visitors! Simply fill out the form below and we’ll post your comment here on this page.

Submitted by Hope on: August 29, 2010

The house look beautiful, why don't you have tours of the house?

Submitted by Meg on: August 1, 2010

First visit with my 18 and 11 year old. We did the South Slope Trail to the Vernal Pool Trail to the Main Loop then up the Tupelo back to the property. We loved it; the 18 year old took tons of pics. I suggest good trail shoes and bug guard.

Submitted by Hope on: July 26, 2010

Nice gardens, should have called before I came; no one in house for tour. Beautiful house from the outside. A lot of land to cover walking it; a suggestion for those who don't want to walk or have problems walking long distances; have small golf carts pool available to check out to ride the property, especially seniors.

Submitted by cliffy on: November 17, 2009

niceplaceyou have was there this afternoon did the 1.2 mile hike what i like about it its well signed and woodsy cliffy.

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