Glorious Gardens

They say that the Englishman’s home is his castle, but we also take our gardens seriously.

Enjoy a peaceful stroll in the formal parterre garden at The Bowes Museum. Explore the large and beautiful grounds or get energetic with a "Bag of Fun" which provides outdoor activities and entertainment for all the family.

In the 19th century tourists flocked to see Rokeby Park which was designed to provide the essential qualities of the Picturesque – combining wild dramatic scenery with radiating vistas of the house and terraced walks by the river. Sir Walter Scott used it as a setting for a ballad.

At Raby Castle the medieval deer park was landscaped in the 18th century to provide a sheltered walled garden, terrace and unusual trees. Garden designers Thomas Wright and James Paine have worked to establish the Raby Gardens which now extend to five acres. These magnificent gardens display herbaceous borders, shrub borders, yew hedges, a conservatory, formal rose gardens and informal heather and conifers gardens.

More recently Barnard Castle Rotary Club created an accessible garden in the grounds of Barnard Castle.

And don’t miss the informal gardens and nursery within the old walled gardens of Eggleston Hall.