Starting as a family business over 40 years ago (in 1961), Bridgemere is now one of the most widely recognised garden centres in Europe. Its unprecedented size has also earned it the title “Biggest Garden Centre” in the Guinness Book of Records. Covering more than 25 acres, the site attracts around 1.8 million visitors per…
Parks and gardens are perhaps not the first thing one would choose to associate with Birkenhead. Instead, this town near the Mersey Estuary would more commonly be associated with the heavy industry of the industrial revolution and beyond. This said, Birkenhead is home to one of the most pioneering examples of park design of its…
Dating from 1906 to 1912, this beautiful Edwardian garden is set in the grounds of the spectacular red sandstone house (not open to the public). Both the house and gardens are Grade II* listed. Although open on just a few occasions during the year, the gardens are well worth a visit. Divided into two main…
The picturesque village of Port Sunlight has been engulfed over the past century by the surrounding urban sprawl. The development of the village owed much to Victorian philosophies of philanthropy and in particular the work of William Hesketh Lever. Lever was a successful entrepreneur, with his wealth built on the soap industry. He believed strongly…
The spectacular twelfth century ruins of Norton Priory are complemented by the beautiful 1ha Georgian (18th century) walled garden. The medieval monastic herb garden captures an essence of the site’s past use. The monastery became disused and derelict during the reformation, and it was the purchase of the grounds in 1545 by the Brooke family,…
Lyme Park is fine parkland approximately 560 hectares in size with ornate gardens and commanding views of the Cheshire Plains. It is a medieval deer-park with an imposing stone mansion which has been the ancestral home of the Legh Family for over 600 years. The area is high moorland, with ridges and valleys, on the…
It is said that to see Cheshire you must see Gawsworth. The village is extremely pretty and the hall itself is a black and white timber building dating back to the 15th Century. In the Middle Ages Gawsworth was owned by the Fitton Family. Following the death of Edward Fitton V in 1643 a dispute…
Dunham Massey is an ancient deer park with a Georgian House and formal gardens. It has a long and rich history dating back to the 14th Century and is described as a real plantsman’s garden. The sights and smells change with the seasons and the house provides a glimpse into the past and has a…
Set just into Staffordshire, this beautiful garden of Victorian design is a must-see. Largely the result of working partnership between James Bateman, resident at Biddulph, and designer Edward Cooke, this spectacular array of gardens provides an almost surreal experience for the visitor. Within just a few steps, one can walk from China to Egypt, from…
The dramatic landscape of Hawkstone Park and Follies is not at all in keeping with the surrounding landscape of rural Shropshire. This undulating and magnificent park fits very much with original ideas of the picturesque, with such a spectacular and wild landscape. The Hill family were owners of the Hawkstone estate for many generations, since…