Thornton Hall Gardens - June 2014
In late June a group of almost 50 members of the County Durham Centre arrived by car at Thornton Hall Gardens. Jacqui met us with the information that the garden visit was free flow with afternoon tea served from 4pm.
I first visited in 2008 and was amazed by the colour, perfume and form which greeted me. Having read the history of the garden before my visit, I was stunned that Sue and Mike Manners had achieved such a wonderful place with no formal training. When they bought the hall in 1989 they inherited 3 paddocks used for grazing sheep and cattle, which in Elizabethan times had been formal gardens and orchards.
In 1995 Sue decided to create one paddock into a lawn, for the children to play, surrounded by raised beds. She bought plants, trees and shrubs from local nurseries, mainly Eggleston Hall, and for the first time grew plants from seed. She got the gardening bug and from these simple beginnings the present gardens evolved.
On each visit I continue to be delighted with the colour, form and shape of the plants, placed in positions which, together with the ponds and statues, enhance and complement every aspect of this outstanding garden.
I'll be back next year to see the new toilet block and tearoom, and to experience again a garden which awakens all 5 senses - colour, form and perfume for sight and smell; the sound of birds and running water for hearing; and the statues for touch, and the available refreshments for taste.
Many thanks to Mike and Sue Manners for a wonderful afternoon and especially to Jacqui for organising the visit.
I first visited in 2008 and was amazed by the colour, perfume and form which greeted me. Having read the history of the garden before my visit, I was stunned that Sue and Mike Manners had achieved such a wonderful place with no formal training. When they bought the hall in 1989 they inherited 3 paddocks used for grazing sheep and cattle, which in Elizabethan times had been formal gardens and orchards.
In 1995 Sue decided to create one paddock into a lawn, for the children to play, surrounded by raised beds. She bought plants, trees and shrubs from local nurseries, mainly Eggleston Hall, and for the first time grew plants from seed. She got the gardening bug and from these simple beginnings the present gardens evolved.
On each visit I continue to be delighted with the colour, form and shape of the plants, placed in positions which, together with the ponds and statues, enhance and complement every aspect of this outstanding garden.
I'll be back next year to see the new toilet block and tearoom, and to experience again a garden which awakens all 5 senses - colour, form and perfume for sight and smell; the sound of birds and running water for hearing; and the statues for touch, and the available refreshments for taste.
Many thanks to Mike and Sue Manners for a wonderful afternoon and especially to Jacqui for organising the visit.
