At the weekend, I went to visit the Roche Court Sculpture Park, near East Winterslow. I must confess, despite having lived here for almost two decades, I’ve never previously been.

And to think that I purport to write a column about local culture. I know.

To be fair, there’s none of those big brown signs announcing a place of significance, just a narrow turning off the A30, then down a country lane and a track leading to a pair of closed gates that only open on arrival.

Once at the site, there’s a note to walk around to the main house and ring the doorbell.

As we approached, the door opened, and we were greeted with a friendly welcome, a map, and pointed to a gap in the hedge to begin.

So far, so magical mystery tour. But once through the hedge, the gardens opened out onto a beautiful sweep of countryside and woodlands, the rolling hills stretching out before us.

And dotted throughout were the sculptures, about seventy or so, all to walk around, explore and enjoy.

The Sculpture Park began life back in the late 1950s, as the New Art Centre in London’s Sloane Street. It moved to Roche Court in the mid 1990s.

Although there are also several galleries on site, it is the outdoor focus that really makes the place what it is.

The sculptures come in all shapes and sizes and materials. One of the most striking is Barry Flanagan’s Large Left-Handed Drummer, a characterful Hare with rhythm.

Given the time of year, and daffodils waking up, it felt like he was calling spring into action.

In a similar seasonal way, Meical Watts’ Lleu Lleu Gyffes, a blue granite glacial boulder in the summer house, had a touch of the Garden Tomb to it.

There’s something about the way the art interacted with the setting that felt particularly inspiring.

It left you appreciating the shape and intricacies of the trees, the curves of the landscapes beyond. Some of the colours, such as the cast iron Antony Gormleys, blended in.

Others, such as Michael Craig-Martin’s four-metre-tall turquoise fountain pen, offered a literary frame through which to see the garden.

 If you’re looking for something to entertain the children during the holidays, as something on the doorstep and free, this would come with a hearty recommendation (the centre are also running family workshops on Wednesday, April 5, places still available).

Do check the website (www.sculpture.uk.com) for more details.

Afterwards, we drove on to Stockbridge for a cup of tea. We told the person behind the counter where we’d been. It turned out she lived in the village and had guiltily never visited either. Not just me then!