| Status: | Active, open to new members |
| Coordinator: | |
| Group email: | Gardens group |
| When: | Monthly on Wednesday mornings First Wednesday |
Any Wessington member can 'sign up' for any of our visits. Hope you are able to join the group.
For reviews and photos of visits during 2025 please see below and for previous years visit the Garden Archive:
Important notice: WALLINGTON HALL Wednesday 1st october
Due to a disappointing weather forecast and thinking about the distance and expensive I think it’s for the best to cancel our visit. Hopefully we can get there next year as it’s a lovely place to see.
Sally 29/09/2025
Newby Hall day trip - 3rd September 2025 continued...
Thank you John for organising our relaxing informative visit. The Hall was a delight and our guides full of enthusiasm and knowledge about this beautiful home.
The restaurant was exceptionally good with lots of homemade dishes.
The gardens and grounds were still looking good even this late in the year.
Unfortunately the weather did stop us from exploring as much as we would have liked it it didn’t spoil the day at all. As always the company was great.
GREAT VISIT. Sally
Planned Garden Visits 2025
Following a successful planning meeting the following visits have been chosen for our monthly visits.
Thank you everyone for your ideas and to Sue Foster, Annie and Linda for organising the months of March, May and August. A special thank you to John Laybourn for arranging a second annual trip in September. Sally
| Wednesday 5th of March | Howick Hall and Gardens, Alnwick |
| Saturday 26th of April | Harrogate Flower Show |
| Wednesday 7th of May | Whalton Manor Gardens, Northumberland |
| Wednesday 4th of June | Thornton Hall Gardens, Darlington, DL2 2NB |
| ANNUAL TRIP: Thursday 3rd of July CANCELLED | Brodsworth Hall and Gardens, Doncaster |
| Thursday 7th of August, Please meet at 11am | The Secret Garden, Birkhead, NE16 5EL |
| ANNUAL TRIP NUMBER 2: Wednesday 3rd of September | Newby Hall |
| Wednesday 1st of October | Wallington Hall, Northumberland |
Visit Reviews 2025
Thornton Hall Gardens
Wednesday 4th June
So good to see so many friends together in these beautiful gardens. Once again they didn’t disappoint even though the weather did. We managed to dodge most of the showers and there was plenty of chatter and laughter along the way... Sally
Whalton Manor. Private gardens near Morpeth. Wednesday 7th May.
The Manor consists of four various substantial farm buildings and cottages joined into one. It is a magnificent 110 feet long, the longest in England, but only one room wide, similar to French chateau. There are three acres of walled garden around it divided into different sections and protected by tall hedges.
Entering the garden on the right, we were confronted with a magnificent purple wisteria, planted in 1908, covering the house. Alongside were two beautiful climbing roses already in bloom because of the protection of the walls. We were encouraged to look through the windows at the ‘Downton’ style interiors. There is a bluebell wood with a ‘fairy dell’ ring of seats made from logs, which is used by the children of the local school.
On the lawn is a magnificent four-hundred-year-old ‘sessile oak’, which had lost a large bough in January. Crossing into another area towards the pan tiled pergola was a lovely Amelanchier or wedding cake tree.
The lushly planted borders were established in the 1970’s and are in flower from April to September. The pergolas and walls backing the borders are covered with many varieties of climbing rose and clematis. We were a little early for these, the peonies and the laburnum orchard, but there were plenty of other spring bedding to keep our interest. There was one tree peony in bloom which was very pretty.
The garden is completely organic and has the wildlife to prove it. One baby rabbit was not bothered by us. It hopped almost past us and lolloped across the croquet lawn.
There is an NGS open day on Saturday 17th May from 11.00 to 16.00, adults £9, children free, but the gardens do not open to the public until Wednesday 21 at 2.00pm. Then it is for six weeks every Wednesday until 25th June. Private tours and groups such as ours, are welcome by prior arrangement.
It was lovely to have the garden to ourselves. As Jen said, ‘It is a gem of a garden. So peaceful. Lots to see. Loved it’. 😊 Anne
Howick Hall and Gardens - March 2025 The ancestral home of the Earls Grey.
This was our first monthly garden visit of the year. It was lovely to see it was so well attended with happy sociable members discussing about the many different varieties' of plants and flowers. A rare orchid was found nestling among the grass or was that an Alpine Squill!! The carpet of snowdrops throughout the gardens were stunning.
Once again we all enjoyed delicious scones, soup, and sandwiches from the delightful Earl Grey Tearoom.
Although it was a little windy the rain held off and glimpses of sunshine helped to make the day.
Thank you Sue for organising today's event.
More reviews and photos of previous visits are on the Garden Archive page