Visiting Wimpole Garden

The Walled Garden

The four-and-a-half-acre walled garden at Wimpole was constructed of red handmade bricks in the 1790s by Philip Yorke, 3rd Earl of Hardwicke, with no expense spared. Even the walls were heated to keep peaches warm during the spring frosts.

When the National Trust took over its care in 1976, the 19th-century glasshouse had disappeared, and the garden was grassed over. Restoration began in the early 1990s, with pathways created, espalier fruit frames installed, 6000 box plants added, and the 18th-century Soane-designed ‘pinery-vinery’ reinstated in 1999.

Today the garden is a horticultural gem with a produce rich core surrounded by colourful herbaceous borders and seasonal cutting borders. The central area is split into four sections, the rotational quads, no-dig, soft fruit and the volunteer allotments. Following organic principles, the walled garden produces masses of crops such as potatoes, lettuce, carrots, beans, onions, garlic, cauliflower and more. Today over 20% of the garden’s produce is donated to the Harston Hub Foodbank, with the rest on sale at our visitor welcome centre or supplying The Old Rectory café.

The Pleasure Ground

First planted by Robert Greening in the 1750s to connect the Hall to his walled garden, the Pleasure Ground was substantially altered by garden designer William Emes, when he rebuilt the walled garden in the 1790s.

It was described in 1850 as having ‘picturesque, winding walks, leading a long way, admirably planted with groups and masses of the finest evergreens and deciduous trees'. There are also important views to and from the park, with the grounds occupying a pivotal position as the link between the hall and the park.

The Rejuvenation Project

The Pleasure Grounds rejuvenation project aims to restore and revitalize the Wimpole Grade I Listed Pleasure Grounds to a condition commensurate with their listed status. We’re planning to achieve this through the implementation of an appropriate climate adaptive planting scheme, the enhancement of our Spring bulb display and the creation of new seating and sensory experiences, ensuring the garden is welcoming for everyone, forever.

The Parterre

This area of garden was lost for a century and restored in 1996 in a Union Jack pattern of triangular beds edged with box hedging and planted with seasonal bedding and evergreens.

Look out for the best view of the Parterre, which is from the Chancellor's dressing room on the first floor of the hall. This was designed to be accessed via the Saloon steps on the north side of the house.

An award-winning design team was appointed in 2023 and is set to give Wimpole's parterre a sustainable and climate-resilient future with a transformative redesign.

Find out more about our parterre redesign project.

Greener gardening

For a greener way of gardening we generate tons of homemade compost, use battery powered machinery wherever possible and harvest rainwater. We also use manure from our farm, peat-free compost and consciously plant for year-round pollinator attraction.

Find out more about Wimpole's Climate Change work here.