Mackmurdo's paradise is restored

GREAT RUFFINS GARDEN in Wickham Bishops, Essex, which is privately owned, has just been awarded Grade II listing by Historic England. It is the only surviving landscape created by the Arts-and-Crafts architect, designer and artist Arthur Heygate Mackmurdo (1851–1942), who built the Grade II*-listed house in about 1903–04. The original plan had been for him and his wife, Eliza, to make Great Ruffins their home, but, by 1920, the property had been sold and the Mackmurdos were living in a nearby cottage.

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Although he was elected an associate of the Royal Institute of British Architects in 1882, Mackmurdo left in 1885 and is best known for his contribution to the Arts-and-Crafts Movement. He founded the Century Guild of Artists, the aims of which were to 'restore building,