A visit to Thornbridge Hall & gardens
The enchanting Thornbridge Hall and Gardens are set in 14 acres of English formal gardens. Designed by Simeon Marshall at the end of the 19th Century, the previous owner, George Marples’ inspiration behind its design, was to create ‘a vision of a thousand shades of green’ that he could admire from his bedroom window. Seeing the dappled light here must have been magnificent throughout the seasons.
The gardens were first open to the public in the 1930s. It offers many distinct garden areas like the Italian Garden and Koi Lake, with the terraced Knot garden that overlooks the expansive Derbyshire countryside. They redesigned the new Knot garden in 2017 to include upright yews, grasses, salivas, tactile grasses, and alliums. This garden affords sweeping panoramic views beyond that stretch across glorious Derbyshire.
Our personal favourites at Thornbridge Hall & Gardens
We enjoy visiting each of the places we recommend for our guests, and we were determined to visit Thornbridge Hall & Gardens at Ashford in the Water (2 miles from Bakewell). Strolling around on a bright summer’s morning in July with a few hours to spare, this was our golden opportunity.
And WOW–were we pleased to have found the time-it is stunning!
There is so much to explore here. It’s difficult choosing a personal favourite but, for me, I think I was so enthralled by the intoxicating scented terrace and the kitchen garden it became a firm favourite. Meandering around the kitchen garden is a joy. You’ll see such an abundance of fruit and vegetables being grown. And knowing that the produce grown is used to create delicious snacks for the café makes it tantalising for your tastebuds too!
Who owns Thornbridge Hall & Gardens and what is there for visitors to enjoy?
It is owned by Emma & Jim, custodians since 2002 who have, together with their team, developed the gardens extensively. They now also include a kitchen garden, a scented terrace, the greenhouse, and the orangery, amongst others, for visitors to soak up the flowers’ sweet aroma and admire the garden displays.
Gardeners tend the designed areas and are always happy to pause and have a chat with visitors. They clearly take great pride in their work, and it really shows too.
The Orangery
The Orangery is in a T shape and was completed in 2009. Stepping into the gardens, this is one of those must-see areas before experiencing the delightful, scented gardens and kitchen gardens beyond.
Each section houses a range of exotic plants like the Swiss Cheese plant, passion flowers, and Jasmine, amongst many others. Don’t forget to admire the flooring here, too. It is a beautifully tiled limestone arrangement of black and white checkerboard effect, with the centre of The Orangery designed as a dining area, complete with its own kitchen area.
Discover the house too with a tour
The Grade 2 listed country house offers a range of tours given by their experienced guides Angela and David. They share their knowledge of some of the spectacular rooms on display, such as the Great Hall, The Carriage House, and The Music Room. With two options for the tours, lasting either one hour or two hours (with the latter offering more rooms to explore) each one gives a fascinating insight into the history of the estate and includes an all-day garden entry too.
Check entry times for their tour here.
Have a refreshing rest at Quackers café
Quackers café is open every day from 10am to 4pm, including bank holidays. The café serves delicious cakes, made from their on-site bakehouse. They make their cakes in small batches to ensure consistency and quality.
We simply had to try the cakes on display, so we opted for the mars bar cake–it was delicious.
Don’t miss out on their scrumptious all butter puff pastry sausage rolls either. They are divine. Their meat comes from their own smallholding and is butchered on site too. This not only reduces food miles, it also ensures great quality meat products too and makes for a tasty sausage roll!
Amble around the garden nursery
Your visit to Thornbridge Hall will inspire you & Gardens and may choose to explore the garden nursery too. You’ll discover an extensive range of plants for sale that are grown from seeds, cuttings, or divisions from the gardens you see on display.
On our visit, we chose a Cotinus plant, which is now growing well in our own garden, seen by the photo below.
The owners’ ethos also impressed us in that, in their words, ‘each visit to Thornbridge helps to fund underprivileged children who can’t afford to visit’.
We believe everybody should be able to enjoy these wonderful gardens and it reminded me of a poem by William Henry Davies–‘Leisure’
Leisure
What is this life, if full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.
No time to stand beneath the boughs
And stare as long as sheep or cows.
No time to see, when woods we pass,
Where squirrels hide their nuts in grass.
No time to see, in broad daylight,
Dreams full of stars, like skies at night.
No time to turn at Beauty’s glance,
And watch her feet, how they dance.
No time to wait till her mouth can
Enrich that smile her eyes began.
A poor life this, if full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.
William Henry Davies
We found a calmness and serenity in our visit and felt rejuvenated and plan a return visit as there is always so much to see.
We would recommend our guests visit Thornbridge Hall & Gardens for a great day out. To find out more, visit their website here.
Be inspired by our blogs here for even more ideas of places to visit whilst in the Picturesque Peak District.
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