Evening Drinks Party Helmsley Walled Garden

Built in 1759 as the kitchen garden for Duncombe Park, the gardeners would have supplied all the vegetable fruit and flowers for the house for over 15O years. However in 1916, the 2nd Earl Feversham died and the family left the house. The walled garden was leased as a commercial enterprise, market gardening, but in 1984 the leaseholder retired and the garden became derelict. Fortunately ten years later the lease was taken over by Alison Ticehurst who started to renovate the garden, uncovering the original network of paths and the Dipping Pond. Two years later it was opened to the public. Tragically Alison died in 1999, but staff and volunteers continued to develop and maintain the garden. Today as well as being a beautiful space, the many volunteers and visitors benefit from therapeutic horticulture, the interaction of people with plants and gardening in a secure and supportive environment to enhance their own physical and mental wellbeing.

On a delightful summer evening the Garden’s director June Tainsh introduced us to the garden. We enjoyed a glass of chilled prosecco, canapes and a wander in this stunning space.

A link to an illustrated account of this visit will appear here shortly