Helmsley Walled Garden
I’ve just come back from a few days visiting family in the north east. It’s unusual to head back there and experience better weather than at home in Wales. It wasn’t by any stretch of the imagination what you could call summery. As Wellyman observed at one point, ‘it’s July, I really shouldn’t be wearing a shirt, jumper AND coat’ but hey, it didn’t rain for 2 whole days, so that was something at least. The sun even popped out occasionally. So making the most of the dry spell we thought we’d visit somewhere that has been on my list for a while now.
The Display Glasshouse
Helmsley Walled Garden in North Yorkshire is an incredibly inspiring place, in so many ways. The red brick walls enclose a five acre garden that dates back to 1758 and which lies next to the ruins of the Norman castle. The garden was created to supply the nearby Duncombe House, owned by the wealthy Duncombe family, with food and flowers. It was during the Victorian period that the gardens were in their prime. The abolition of the tax on glass meant that it became so much more affordable and this, coupled with improvements in the production process, allowed large scale glasshouses to built all across the country. At the same time, the burgeoning empire and intrepid plant hunters brought about a demand for interesting and exotic flora from across the globe. Vines, figs and pineapples were all grown at Helmsley. At the peak of their productivity the walled gardens employed 20 gardeners but, as for so many large estates and their gardens, it was the First World War that would bring an end to this idyll. The Duncombe family moved to London and over the subsequent years the garden was used to provide food during the Second World War for the local area and was then run as a market garden but from the early 1980s weeds took over and the glasshouses fell into decline.
Then, along came a remarkable woman, Alice Ticehurst. In 1994 she embarked on a project to restore the space with the idea that it would become a haven for all but especially those who would benefit from the restorative powers of a garden. With a group of friends and volunteers, weeds were cleared, the original paths uncovered and the old dipping well discovered, where gardeners in the past would have dipped their watering cans. Within only two years Helmsley Walled Garden had opened to the public but sadly, Alice died suddenly whilst in the gardens in 1999. However, those at Helmsley shared Alice’s vision and 13 years later it shows the incredible potential of places like this.
The gardens themselves are stunning. The double herbaceous borders stretch for 120 metres down the centre of the garden. They were such an amazing vision of colour with large blocks of flowers such as heleniums, achilleas and salvias, intermingled with grasses and towering spires of Verbascum olympicum. Running off this main path were other smaller gardens such as the white garden and a gravel garden. There’s a physic garden grouping plants together in raised beds depending on the areas of the body there are used for healing. And then, there was the cottage garden, a sheer riot of colour. There were colour combinations there that would probably make some garden designers and arbiters of taste turn pale and have palpitations but I loved it and it’s exuberance. It made me smile.
The Cottage Garden
A couple of areas had been sown with different wildflower mixes and along the entire length of the east wall is Lindsay’s border. Designed and planted by the assistant manager, Lindsay Tait, it is packed full of bulbs for spring and pastel coloured herbaceous perennials throughout the summer.
If anyone from the National Trust is reading, this is what you call a salad.
Unlike so many walled gardens, where the Victorian glasshouses remain unloved and unused, here at Helmsley they are integral to the gardens. Reconstructed using the original iron frameworks, the Vinery is now the location for an excellent vegetarian cafe, with vines still growing inside and the display house contains a collection of tender plants, including succulents, pelargoniums and Brugmansia.
Brugmansia
It’s not just the beauty of the plants that makes this such a special place, it’s the ethos of serving the local community and helping those in need that means it has a real sense of purpose. Following Alice Ticehurst’s vision, Helmsley Walled Garden now employs 2 horticultural therapists. It’s become a place where people with disabilities, learning difficulties and those who have been long term unemployed can come to learn new skills, to interact and make friends and ultimately to feel secure and relaxed. I can understand why a walled garden makes such a great place for such an enterprise, with the walls giving a feeling of protection from the outside world, a safe cocoon from the pressures of modern life.
And, if all that wasn’t enough, there is an area of the garden that has been given over to allotments. As part of the Landshare initiative raised beds were created and made available to budding allotmenteers. Surrounded by well established heritage fruit trees, it’s an inspiring place, even in a summer as bad as this one.
I really don’t know what else to say about this place, other than it’s BRILLIANT. The only problem with it, is it’s too far away for me to volunteer there. If you’re in the area or passing by, it’s only 30 minutes from the A1 at Thirsk, please do visit, you won’t be disappointed.
For more information about the gardens at Helmsley.
I love the fact that some walled gardens have been recently restored but this one appears to be even more heart warming given its wider uses for the community at large. Sadly a long way from home so the chances of a vist remote. Thank you for the post.
Hi Philippa, Some walled gardens have left me a little disappointed because they seem half finished, with disused glasshouses but Helmsley really is the full package. And it’s so lovely that these gardens that were once so useful and productive are being valued again.
You’ve beat me to it, I’ve been meaning to go to Helmsley Walled Garden for a long time but just haven’t got round to it. I’ve visited Helmsley it’self and Duncombe Park for their Country Show and it’s really not that far from me, I have no excuses. It sounds wonderful, I must make more of an effort.
Hi Jo, Helmsley itself looked lovely but we didn’t have time to stop so I think we’ll pop in there again, in the autumn, when we’re back up that way.I can certainly recommend it.
You certainly found a fantastic place, love the photo of the cottage garden. Wonderful that lots of various groups of people are now benefiting from working and visiting the garden. As you say, such a long way to visit, but will put it on the list, just in case.
It’s such a lovely part of the country, with so many gardens to visit that even though it’s fairly close to family I think we might look at staying in the area next year for a few days to make the most of it.
Rather jealous of you, WW. I was in Helmsley one night in March 2011 while walking the Tabular Hills Walk and Cleveland Way. Sadly the garden wasn’t open early enough in the morning for me to visit (it was a very long day’s walk from Helmsley to Osmotherly which required an early start). I did manage to look down longingly into the walled garden from the ‘ Way though. And it did look gorgeous. Glad you got a decent salad. Dave
Helmsley itself looked lovely but we didn’t have time to linger but I’m sure we’ll be back. Would love to do more walking in that area, so far we’ve only managed Roseberry Topping. It’s a beautiful part of the country. WW
It looks fascinating for any number of reasons including the beautiful herbaceous borders and the principles behind the garden’s revival. I am in favour of any combination of colour whether in garden borders or in this instance on your delicious plate of salad. A vegetarian cafe is the cherry on the cake!
I’ve been once, when I really enjoyed it, and always wanted to go again. I have to say that there’s a certain appeal to a walled garden, especially one with a Victorian greenhouse perhaps because I’d love to grow pineapples which they used to do in them.
Your paragraph below the brugmansia picture is a good indication of the similar work that the charity Gardening Leave do – http://www.gardeningleave.org/ xx
Flighty, I’m partial to a walled garden too. And one with restored glasshouses is a dream. It was incredible how productive these gardens were at their height. Thanks for the link to Gardening Leave. I’m a great fan of the work Thrive do, as well. Gardening can do so much to make people feel better.
Wow, simply beautiful! Love the cottage garden pic!
Sounds like a great garden. Brilliant herbaceous borders. I’m a big fan of herbaceous borders.
Me too, I love a walled garden too, so, for me, the perfect garden.
Your enthusiasm is so infectious, I have it listed Helmsley as a must visit on a future well wrapped-up trip that far North! Goggled Alice Ticehurst. and very little comes up other than your blog posts so think there is a book waiting to be written here about yet another remarkable woman gardener
Lovely shots, espeically the purple lupins and soft yellow ?Leucanthemums
Thank you, Laura. A book sounds great about Alice and the place. It’s something I was thinking about, too. Wonder if there are any publishers out there that would be interested?
Sounds a great place where there much positive activity going on. Our garden club had a trip there a few years ago but I gave it a miss not being a great coach traveller. Will have to persuade himself to point the campervan in that direction. For some reason I associate Helmsley with clematis – maybe there is a collection there? That salad looks decidedly delicious
I believe it has a national collection of clematis. There was a section of bare ground that is under redevelopment as a clematis garden.
well, this is only on the doorstep. We’d heard of it but have never visited. Possibly we can do this in a couple of weeks time after the Harrogate show and take some interesting photos too – for our blog. Thanks for sharing this with us on twitter
It’s a lovely place and I can highly recommend the cafe there and there is a plant nursery. Helmsley itself looked lovely but we didn’t have time to stop. Maybe next time we’re up that way.