One way Stephen Hester might wish to console himself over his decision to waive his bonus is to take a stroll around his country estate.
Broughton Grange, which is set in 350 acres of Oxfordshire parkland, boasts "one of the most significant private contemporary gardens in Britain", according to its website. It offers many opportunities for contemplation and reflection. For example, the walled garden, which was laid out in 2000 by Tom Stuart-Smith, contains beech tunnels, topiary yews and pleached lime squares.
But the tranquillity might well be interrupted on 29 April when the garden is opened to the public to raise money for charity. Ian Bone, a campaigner who founded the Class War newspaper in the 1980s, has called on his blog for people to use the open day as an excuse to gather at Hester's "country pile" for "fun and games", adding that "our French comrades will be visiting his ski lodge at Verbier on the same day".
