The Garden Project at Berrington Hall

Project
A birds eye view of the new design layout of the walled garden

Berrington Hall is a set piece of 'Capability' Brown design and his final landscape masterpiece. Recent research into the walled garden and pleasure grounds has revealed the rarity and significance of this part of the grounds.

A particularly significant part of the garden is the curved walled garden built in 1783 to Brown’s original design. We've discovered that it's the only one of its kind to survive the centuries and that it may have been used for growing exotic fruits like pineapples in forcing pits. The curved garden was used as a home for livestock by the tenant farmer for the last 100 years, but came back into the care of the National Trust in May 2019. 

Since then, we've been able to carry out urgent conservation work in the curved garden during 2021 thanks to the DCMS Culture Recovery Fund. This has involved removing the old farm buildings and lean-tos which were causing damage to the original walls and carrying out urgent repairs to the walls themselves. Read the updates below to find out more. 

This is a visual of how the garden could look if the project is successful
A wide shot of Berrington walled garden with the new style and layout
This is a visual of how the garden could look if the project is successful

We have been combining findings from reports such as the 2017 Wessex Archaeology report with other findings, such as the James Crummer papers from the Hergest Croft Archive. All of this information is giving us an idea of how 'Capability' Brown intended Berrington to look.

This project update is designed to keep you informed and up to date with the latest developments, progress and occasional discoveries associated with this project.

The top of 'Look! Look! Look!' with some bullrushes in the corner Play Video

Latest updates

15 May 22

Restoring the Carpenter's Workshop

We are now redeveloping the Carpenter’s Workshop, which has fallen into disrepair over the years. Restoration work will begin in May 2022 and take a couple of months to complete. In the future, this space will be used by an artist in residence who will develop a long term concept for the curved walled garden. For a temporary period, we will be closing The Curve. This will help us develop it into a unique visitor experience and ensure that it is kept safe for generations to come. We are developing plans to create walkway which will allow visitors to peak into the garden to view the wildflowers.

A view of the curved walled garden at Berrington Hall from a drone

30 Mar 22

The Curve is now open

You can visit to view the newly repaired and restored curved wall and soon, you'll be able to see wildflowers that have been planted here. We are making plans for the next stage of the project and will update you shortly.

An aerial image of Berrington Hall and its curved walled garden

09 Jun 21

Historic orchard is replanted

The team have been hard at work planting trees in the parkland, with the help of students from Westfield School in Leominster. The saplings have been planted on the site of the original orchard, which ‘Capability’ Brown included as part of his design of Berrington over 240 years ago.

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