Welcome to Wollerton Old Hall

A family garden in the north of England

A family garden…

Wollerton Old Hall is a private garden in the north of England that was lovingly constructed by the Jenkins family over the past 40 years. A family garden in the north of England that is full of beautiful plants, topiary and cozy seating areas. It has won several awards and accolades from gardeners, including most recently from British TV presenter Monty Don, who said Wollerton is “one of my favourite gardens in the world."¹

And it is a garden with some history:

“Set around a 16th Century hall, Wollerton Old Hall is a formal, modern garden on an old site. Located in north Shropshire and covering 3 acres, its garden rooms are richly planted with perennials and bursting with design ideas. The garden is renowned for its salvias, clematis and roses, growing in controlled exuberance, and the clever use of colour, form and scale.”²

The Rill Garden at Wollerton Old Hall

Join me on a tour of Wollerton Old Hall from my June 2017 visit!

The House

According to owners Leslie and John Jenkins:

“The Old Hall building is a half timbered wing from the mid 1500s accompanied by substantial foundations. Fourteenth century terracotta tiles laid on an ash floor would have once extended into the farm next door.

Lesley Jenkins lived here briefly as a child… (Later,) the opportunity arose in 1983 to start with a completely blank canvas…”³

The 16th century hall at Wollerton

Hollyhocks and Catmint along the wall of the cafe at Wollerton

The first intimate space is created by topiary when you walk around the right side of the house at Wollerton.

An irresistible door in the wall to the garden proper.

Climbing Hydrangea growing overtop of the wall and door into the garden.

Yew Walk

When you come through the arched doorway into the garden proper, the height of the pyramidal yew is quite striking! Herbaceous perennials fill the beds between the topiary and draw you along the perfectly edged green path.

View down the Yew Walk back to the arched door

Newly pruned yew that are kept in very tight shape make this garden have more dynamic energy when they are set against exuberant planting.

The woodwork at Wollerton was impressive, with oak being made into railing for the edges of some gardens: pergolas, the loggia and other structures all carefully made.

Map of Wollerton Old Hall:

Just how many garden areas are there at Wollerton?

The Sundial and Summerhouse Gardens

Woodwork into the Summerhouse Garden

Doorway to the Long Walk…

Wollerton does a wonderful job with transition points. There are arched doorways at many of the thresholds into new garden area which draw the visitor on through the spaces. And they make it hard to believe that this whole garden is just 3 acres!

Doorway to Long Walk

Lanhydrock Garden

This garden is full of strong color contrasts, such as this blue and red. Here we have another handsome garden building as well.

Eryngium and Alstroemeria in this garden of high contrast colors.

The Lime Allee

“…1988 saw the Lime Allée established and the wilderness pushed back to the bottom of what is now the Well Garden.”⁴

The green allee of limes is a calm space next to all of the flower gardens.

It adds to the coziness of this garden that you can easily see the house from any garden you are in.

The Rill Garden

“…The first symbolic acts were to dig out the lower Rill with the help of a bulldozer from the adjacent farm, and also to remove the turf along the north wall to start preparing the ground for the Main Perennial Border. Lawns were seeded in August 1984. By 1986 it was realised that curved paths and island beds did not sit well with the old site. This caused the first of many redesigns to be employed before the establishment of the layout that harmonises the garden today…”⁵

The beloved Rill, which extends right across the garden.

Everywhere at Wollerton there are seats and effusive plantings that make for a very welcoming atmosphere.

Looking back the other direction down the pool to the rill.

The Font Garden

Our end of June visit was perfectly timed for us to enjoy the Royal lilies in the border and Rose ‘Francis E Lester’ flowering overtop of the loggia in the Font Garden. Photographs of this garden were what originally drew me here to Wollerton. Seeing the daisies grow up around the font in late summer against the clipped box and lawns is a very pleasing contrast! Everything is done in such exquisite detail at Wollerton.

Royal lilies, foxgloves and honeysuckle near the pillars of the Font Garden.

Soft pink Rose ‘Francis E Lester’ flowering over the chairs in the loggia.

The ancient font that gives this garden its name is surrounded by loose planting in the midst of clipped and tighty box and lawns.

Back to the cafe for tea…

This lovely woodland path is along the walk back to the main house and cafe for visitors who need a refresh with a Victoria sponge cake and cuppa after a garden visit.

Want more of Wollerton?

Wollerton Old Hall is in episode 3 of the new BBC series Monty Don’s British Gardens. (US viewers). Watch a short BBC clip of Monty visiting Wollerton Old Hall.

But obviously a visit is the best way to experience this intimate garden!

Wollerton Old Hall Garden is in a little residential area of Market Drayton, Shropshire TF9 3NA. Mark it on your map for the next time you are driving through Shropshire, and be sure to not miss the signs in the neighbor’s hedges pointing the way.

Julie & James Witmer on their first visit to Wollerton - and we loved our teatime as well!

What do you like best about Wollerton Old Hall? Love to hear!

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1. Monty Don’s British Gardens

2. https://www.wollertonoldhallgarden.com/

3. Wollerton Old Hall visitor booklet

4. Wollerton Old Hall visitor booklet

5. Wollerton Old Hall visitor booklet