Biddulph Grange Garden

The extraordinary gardens of Biddulph Grange in Staffordshire are the product of one man's imagination: James Bateman who designed the mid-19th century garden as a series of connecting 'compartments', many inspired by countries of the world, such as the Egyptian court, Italian garden, and the Great Wall of China, sadly scheduled for repair due to erosion and therefore unsafe to fully explore.

Kassie was thrilled to emerge from a lonely walk through dark, overhanging trees beside a moss-laden brook to discover a pavilion overlooking the truly impressive Chinese garden (pictured bottom left). She immediately thrust the National Trust's usually strictly adhered-to children's trail at me and proclaimed we would henceforth explore on our own, without benefit of a guide. She thoroughly enjoyed our visit. Much of the charm of Biddulph Grange Garden is due to its framework of hedges, banks, fernery, rock gardens and intricate planting which conceal the various areas of interest. It is truly a journey of discovery at Biddulph Grange.

Although the Grange itself is not open to visitors, it is an imposing building which provides an attractive backdrop to the ornamental lake and, during our visit, the towering and very colourful rhododendrons surrounding it. Also of interest are the collection of conifers in the Pinetum, the Himalayan Rhododendrons in the Glen, the majestic Lime Avenue and, Kassie's favourite, the varied and exotic planting in the Chinese Garden.

Bateman's concept of 'gardens within a garden', originally designed to amaze and impress his friends and visitors, is still, over 150 years later, a great source of pleasure and delight. Just ask Kassie. She even discovered her own secret garden...otherwise known as the bowling green.

Date of Our Last Visit: May 2005