Wollaton Park and Hall; A garden restored
Nottingham’s Wollaton Park and Hall is a well-known estate - from the deer that roam around the green hills to the hall’s long history. The walled garden has been one of the newest restoration projects on the estate grounds.
The house is now Nottingham Natural History Museum, with Nottingham Industrial Museum in the outbuildings. The site has been a public park since 1926 and is owned by Nottingham City Council.
As you enter the Elizabethan Park, you’ll find the Secret Walled Garden - which has played an important role in the transformation of the estate to become a World of Wonder accessible to everyone. The goal is to develop the Walled Garden to bring to life and unify the estate of Wollaton Hall & Deer Park.
Back in 2007, several locals - who would later become volunteers - discovered the garden when taking their dogs for a walk. They found an abandoned and derelict plot which was once beautiful and grand when it was built in the 1880s.
In late 2018, a group of volunteers, coordinated by Friends of Wollaton Park, started helping to restore, renovate and reuse the ‘secret’ walled garden area.
The volunteer-run group started The Wollaton Walled Garden Project. They initially recovered and cleaned the original Georgian bricks to reconstruct the severely damaged east wall and gate.
In the following years, the group have been developing the gardens for growing fruit, vegetables and flowers. They have also started a trial of cultivation methods in the walled garden, with the left three beds no-dig (just keep adding compost!), the middle three beds are ‘deep beds’ (light digging) and the right three beds are ‘classic’ (i.e. winter digging and regular soil turning). A plan is also in place to start a wildflower meadow during this year.
A volunteer commented on the state of the garden before restoration: “When we first came here all you could see was ivy everywhere.”
Another added: “We spent at least two and half years just getting all the ivy off the walls and burning it before we could even begin to think about growing any produce. You couldn’t see any footpaths because the brambles were all overgrown and people used to call it the secret garden, but it’s not so much of a secret anymore.”
Like many activities outside, the garden restoration helped with well-being: A volunteer said: “You’re here working hard to get stuff done, but the meeting and talking element is so nice and we sort problems out together. People just have a cup of tea and a chat, and it’s a lovely place to be.”
“Especially during lockdown, I think being here saved a lot of people from a lot of stress. You realise that community aspect is so important for mental wellbeing.”
The volunteers have loved working on the garden and are proud of how it looks now: “We all absolutely love it and we’re a great community of people. If people were just coming in and working away and we didn’t do anything social, you couldn’t keep people here that way.”
“But now we know everybody’s partners and we celebrate everything. We’re just a huge, big group of friends, and everybody is so invested in what we’re doing down here.”
The vision of the walled garden states: “As the Walled Garden was formally the kitchen garden serving Wollaton Hall, we must conserve its heritage, offering a place for historic & traditional horticulture, and learning & education. With ample space, the ambition is for visitors to enjoy activities, such as tours, workshops, artistic displays, eating, shopping, weddings & holiday let.”
Tours of the Garden have taken place throughout summer, every Thursday until early September. A garden tour is planned for next summer.