Explore the garden at Seaton Delaval Hall

• Parterre

  Discover the beautiful structure of the Parterre at any time of year, with its formal hedges, whitebeam ‘lollipop’ trees, fountain, urns and standard bay trees. Depending on the season, you’ll be treated to bursts of colour from alliums, azaleas, lavender, geraniums and fuchsias. Formerly a tennis court, it was created between 1950 and 1953 and was the first large-scale commission for garden designer James Russell, whose brief was to ‘Italianise’ the garden and who later became head gardener at Castle Howard.

• Rose Garden

  Breathe in the aroma of the formal Rose Garden, which is in full bloom from mid-spring to late autumn. Each variety was chosen for its beautiful foliage and fragrant scent. Look out for the dark pink flowers of ‘Gertrude Jekyll’ and the creams and whites of 'Iceberg' and 'Ice Cream', the latter of which were favourites of the late Lady Hastings. In 2025 thanks to a legacy gift left in a will and generous donations from The Path Trust and the W A Handley Trust, the Rose Garden undertook a revival, making it easier to explore with wider paths and seating and introducing new hedging and plant varieties.

• Mixed borders

  The mixed borders to the north of the Rose Garden next to the Church of Our Lady come alive in early spring. They offer an ever-changing delight, from subtle yellow and pink flowers in spring to a vivid explosion of colour in summer lasting into autumn. Another development of Lady Hastings, she planted rhododendrons, azaleas and other flowering shurbs in and area that was once a dark and overgrown shrubbery.

• Weeping Ash

  See the magnificent weeping ash tree, set in its own lawn and surrounded by herbaceous borders. We believed it was planted around the same time as the Hall was built, and it is mentioned in letters written by Rhoda Delaval, the eldest of the Gay Delaval children. Sadly it lost a limb during Storm Arwen in 2021, but it still sits with pride of place in the formal gardens.

• Privy Garden

  Pull up a deckchair and relax in this peaceful spot, which was a cabbage patch before being transformed into a private garden for Lady Hastings. Enclosed by yew hedging and unusual Ghent hybrid azaleas, there’s a small pond and summer house.

• Arboretum

  The arboretum is planted with various trees and rhododendron bushes and it’s one of the most popular picnic spots in the garden. From here you follow the path to visit the Church of Our Lady. This isn’t owned or managed by the National Trust, so please be sure to check the opening times directly with the church before visiting as it isn’t open daily.

• The Oval

  Once the location for many a ‘gay Delaval’ party, this tspace at the south end of the garden had shrunk to roughly a third of its original size over the course of the last 200 years. As part of the Curtain Rises project it was reinstated to becoming the large open space you see today, using the historic 1781 estate plan and LiDAR imaging techniques for reference. In 1751, Rhoda Delaval wrote letters describing tents pitched here, where they would take tea every afternoon. Today, during the school holidays, you might find it a hive of activity as the Delaval spirit of playfulness is recreated as part of our Easter, Summer of Play and Hallowen activities while at other times it is the perfect place for a quiet picnic or a spot of cloud gazing.

• Lady Tyrconnel's Flower Garden

  On the surviving 1781 estate plan, but lost by the time an Ordnance Survey was produced around 1860, Lady Tyrconnel’s wildflower garden is just off the Oval. Sarah Delaval had married the 2nd Earl of Tyrconnel in 1780 and one unconfirmed story suggests that the garden was planted as a marriage gift. It was reintroduced as part of the National Lottery Heritage Fund-supported Curtain Rises project, at its centre a Tibetan cherry tree, Prunus serrula.

• Mirror Cube and Dark Matter Cube

  Drawing on the Delavals' playful love of trickery, look out for these two installations designed by Studio Hardie in the South East Garden. They were inspired by the way the garden was originally designed to conceal and reveal different views and features, their gentle mischief has been designed to work with the surrounding planting. The pleached lime trees surrounding the Dark Matter Cube take on a beautiful silvery colour during the winter months that add to the atmosphere of the area, while the plants around the Mirror Cube were specifically chosen for their moisture-loving properties.

Community Kitchen Garden

• Cutting Garden

  Nestled at the far end of the Walled Garden is the Community Kitchen Garden. On the north side of this you'll find the cutting garden, home to an array of plants and flowers used in fresh and dried flower displays across site. Here you'll find a delightful array of colours and scents, including echinops, eryngium (sea holly), montbretia (crocosmia), hellebores and delphimiums.

• Fruit and vegetable beds

  An array of fresh vegetables, fruit and herbs are grown in the beds in the Commmunity Kitchen Garden. We have long-established raspberry canes, seasonal strawberry beds and, new for 2026, blackberry canes. There are several potato varieties including Charlotte, Cara and Colleen. There are also carrots, onions, garlic, chard, kohlrabi, peas and beans and, new for 2026, the team will be planting pak choi and spinach. In peak season, some of the vegetables are sold at Visitor Welcome to help support the work of the gardens team while the rest is donated to local community groups and food banks. Beds of pumpkins and squashes are grown for displays during Halloween week.

• Tots' Plots

  Tots' Plots is a free, seasonal weekly gardening session designed for under 5s and their parents or carers which runs from April to September. Running every Friday from 10am – 12pm whatever the Northumbrian weather has to throw at us, there is no booking needed for Tots’ Plots. You’re welcome to just turn up and enjoy hands-on gardening, simple crafts, nature-based stories and time to relax outdoors together. All sessions take place outside, so please ensure you have appropriate clothing/footwear as you will get mucky! During school holidays, the programme shifts to Young Gardeners, offering outdoor gardening and nature-based fun for children of all ages.