August 2024
Work begins
It was revealed that original eighteenth-century design elements and desired early nineteenth-century influences got lost or hidden due to later changes in the garden's evolution.
The Garden Project at Berrington Hall
A new flower garden is coming to Berrington Hall which will bring surprise, theatre and delight to this Georgian estate - the final work of Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown.
In 2024, after a decade of planning and with funding from National Trust supporters and Blue Diamond Garden Centres, work began on Berrington Hall’s new flower garden. With the groundwork complete and over 53,000 plants now in place - including trees, shrubs, and bulbs - the garden is beginning to take shape. The planting season has been unseasonably dry, so it’s not yet in full bloom, but from Saturday 7 June, you’ll be able to step into the space and explore the early stages of this brand-new, developing garden.
Planning the garden
Careful consideration was crucial to enabling change within the sensitive Grade II* Registered Park and Garden. The planning incorporated archaeological research and specialist advice to fully grasp the original designs of the gardens. It was revealed that original eighteenth-century design elements and desired early nineteenth-century influences got lost or hidden due to later changes in the garden's evolution. These findings, coupled with Brown's designs, actively guided us as we planned the new flower garden and visitor journey through the pleasure grounds.
Flower garden and pleasure grounds
Georgian pleasure grounds, like those ‘Capability’ Brown and Thomas Harley, Berrington Hall’s first owner, created, were intended to surprise and delight guests. The new flower garden will capture the essence of this. Beds filled with a mix of over 53,000 new flowering plants and bulbs, will bring more flowers than ever before to Berrington and give almost year-round interest. We’ve creatively incorporated 14 of the existing 26 much-loved yew balls, which are prominently placed and celebrated. Three new wisteria ‘umbrellas’ will echo the Georgian love of spectacle and the historic Wisteria Walk will be restored and extended to run along the southern length of the walled garden, for magnificent spring displays.
Illustrative drawings
Improving accessibility
The changes will improve accessibility, enabling more people to have a better experience and more access around the gardens.
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Re-aligning the paths
The new accessible path network has been completed. It’s closer to ‘Capability’ Brown’s original layout and will enable more people to have a better experience around the gardens. As the flowers, shrubs and trees establish, the new paths will ensure a grand entrance into the pleasure grounds. They will create a journey to conceal and reveal, surprising and delighting visitors as they move through the garden.
Building a flower garden
Explore the world of garden design
As the garden grows, we invite you to step into the shoes of a garden designer at Berrington Hall. You’ll find information panels explaining the work taking place and asking you to think about how you might design a garden and perhaps take inspiration from what’s happening. There’s also a garden surveyor's office set up in the stables, filled with books and equipment that a garden surveyor might use when planning their latest creation. We invite you to explore this space and reflect on gardens, how you enjoy them and what garden you might create.
Our supporters
This project has been made possible through the generous funding of Blue Diamond Garden Centres and National Trust supporters.
The Curve
The Curve is a very special of Berrington's garden. Designed as part of Capability Brown's final landscape, Berrington's curved walled garden is the only one of its kind globally that has survived the centuries almost entirely intact. In recent years, work has taken place to conserve and protect this unique space, removing the 20th century farm buildings and making necessary repairs to the walls and the Carpenters Workshop. Once this work was completed, we began a Research and Development project to explore new possibilities for The Curve, delving into the many ways people historically engaged with outdoor spaces and how that relationship continues to evolve.
Our partners
Find out more about Blue Diamond Garden Centres collaboration with the National Trust.
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