Walled Garden at Wallington

The house and estate at Wallington in Northumberland has been in ownership of several families. When Sir George Otto Trevelyan inherited the estate in 1886 he set straight to work on the walled garden.

To get to the walled garden you need to walk through the woodland and past the Garden Pond. It is unusual in being so far from the main house and its layout for a walled garden is unconventional. Sir George took inspiration from Italy to create terraces and imported terracotta urns and wrought iron gates from Italy.

As you walk in you immediately view the Mary Pool. This was designed by Sir George's daughter-in-law, Lady Mary Trevelyan. In 1938, 10 years after her husband inherited the estate, she enlarged the rockery using old worked stone.

The dampness of water combined with the coolness of the back wall provides the perfect setting for the ferns growing out of it.

The borders running along the side of the top section of the garden are in the process of being redesigned and replanted. This is first time this section has been changed since the National Trust opened the estate to the public in 1968.

The Conservatory was an Edwardian addition to the garden. It was originally created as a Winter Garden. When it was completed in 1908 Sir George hailed it, “a great success”.

The Conservatory is now crammed with colourful plants which fill the air with a heady scent.

The walled garden was once the kitchen garden but you wouldn't recognise it as that now. Over the years a series of features such as stream running through the garden have been added. The stream takes in a number of pools on its journey down the garden.

The size of the garden is another surprise. With so many areas and little rooms it's hard to keep to track of where you are. Wild, free flowing borders are mixed in with more formal areas.