RHS Garden Bridgewater is open

RHS Garden Bridgewater Salford’s newest visitor attraction has opened its gates to the public.

The £35 million project is the first RHS garden in an urban area and has transformed the former site of Worsley New Hall, restoring the historic walled garden, lake and surviving buildings.

Salford City Council, which contributed £19 million of capital funding to make the garden possible and has invested in new walking and cycling routes to boost green travel in the wider area, say it is already bringing benefits to the city. It has already created 100 new jobs, with almost half of those employed living within five miles of the garden and offered volunteering opportunities to more than 800 local people since 2017.

As it grows and develops RHS Garden Bridgewater will bring substantial economic and tourism benefits to Salford and the north west region and by 2030 is predicted to be adding around £13.8 million every year to the local economy.

Left to right City Mayor Paul Dennett, RHS Chief Executive Sue Biggs and RHS President Keith Weed.

Jewel in the crown

The 11-acre Weston Walled Garden is one of the largest Victorian walled gardens in the UK.

In its Victorian heyday a team of gardeners would have supplied flowers, fruit and vegetables to the house. The restored garden now showcases a range of growing techniques and edible plants, some familiar and some more unusual varieties.

The orchard hosts a wide range of fruit trees including apples native to north west England, pears, plums, mulberries, damsons, cherries, crab apples and quince. The orchard has been designed for wildlife while a nearby bee and butterfly garden has been designed to attract pollinators all year round.

The walled garden is also home to the spectacular Paradise Garden showcasing exotic planting inspired by Asiatic and Mediterranean gardens, while the Community Wellbeing Garden provides a space for people to garden with others, socialise and relax.

The Community Grow area will see up to seven Salfordbased community organisations get involved in regular growing activities, learning new skills and benefiting from being in a green space with friendly guidance from a Bridgewater horticulturalist.

The Peel Learning Garden, supported by The Peel Group, will help schoolchildren learn how plants affect our lives and the planet. It will also host courses and workshops for adults.

Beyond the walled garden

Visitors can explore the beginnings of the Chinese Streamside Garden which, when complete, will be a unique blend of Chinese and British horticulture that embraces seven acres of native woodland.

For young visitors, Woodland Play offers seven acres of adventure, including den building and plenty of features to encourage imaginative play, including Hobbit houses, mud kitchens and fairy homes.

Salford residents go free

Thanks to a unique partnership between the RHS and Salford City Council, all Salford residents can enjoy the garden for free on Tuesdays. It’s the first time the RHS has given free access to the community around one of its gardens.

You must book in advance by visiting www.rhs.org.uk/bridgewater and clicking on the ‘book garden time slot’ button. Use the ‘book Salford free Tuesdays’ option to choose your date and number of tickets required. There’s no limit to the number of children allowed with each adult free entry and you’ll find full information online including how to show proof of name and address on arrival to ensure your free ticket.

Events at the garden

From workshops to exhibitions, garden tours and expert talks to fun family trails, there will be lots of great events to enjoy at the garden. Visit the RHS Garden Bridgewater website www.rhs.org.uk/bridgewater for more information.

New era for estate

Worsley New Hall, which was built for the 1st Earl of Ellesmere between 1840 and 1845, was a grand Gothic-style mansion which cost just under £100,000 to build (around £6.7 million in today’s money.)

The hall stood in glorious, formal landscaped gardens which took more than 50 years to develop and was visited twice by Queen Victoria.

During the First World War it was used as a hospital to treat injured servicemen and during the Second World War it housed Dunkirk evacuees and American soldiers, while the gardens were used for training by the Lancashire Fusiliers. Damaged by fire and its military use and weakened by dry rot and mining subsidence the hall was sold by the family and demolished soon after the war.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UDI4QDXhQes