Gardening Group members enjoyed an excellent day out at Arley Hall in Cheshire.
The formal gardens are stunning and listed as Grade ll on the National Register of Historic Parks and Gardens, the herbaceous border was one of the first of its type in Britain and remains one of it’s finest.
We were treated to a guided tour by Head Gardener Gordon, who had been there for 15 years so very knowledgeable about the history and the marvellous planting. The formal gardens cover an area of 17 acres and include a beautiful gothic chapel and a 13th Century Cruck barn, all tended by only four employed gardeners but lots of volunteers who were all very happy to chat and share their knowledge.
The Arley Hall gardens are open to the public every day apart from Christmas day.
The hall itself was built in the early 1800s, a cross between Elizabethan & Gothic revival, and the setting for many film and TV programmes including Peaky Blinders, Cluedo, Coronation Street, and currently the location for Joanna Lumley’s latest Netflix film ‘Fool me Once’.
Apparently they were just repairing the turf in the main border where a grave had been dug as part of the set, can’t wait to see it.
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