Arley Hall and Gardens

I had not heard of Arlington Hall before our trip but what a revelation our visit was today. Not a very warm start to the day either so well kitted out with our wet weather gear we set off after breakfast ready for anything Huey threw at us. Turns out he was not as destructive as predicted.
It took about an hour to drive to the Hall. It has quite a history as a garden of note and it is used by various film companies,most recently for filming Peaky Blinders, a BBC production of a blood thirsty genre.  Apparently the title relates to the Caps worn by the bodies who had knives embedded in the brims aiming to blind the  enemy. On another note it is where Coronation Street burials and weddings take place in the chapel.

The same family still live here and various members of the family have added to the original design done in the eighteenth century, two hundred and fifty years ago. The war years caused much neglect but the current owners grandparents undertook to restore it's grandeur and what we see to day is a tribute to their vision and the next generations. Today it is the home of Viscount and Vicountess  Ashbrook.

The double  herbaceous borders here are magnificent, full of structure and awash with colour and form. Apparently they were the original herbaceous borders identified on the original plans (1846) and in their day they set a trend and became a fashion leader. Jenny would love these borders.
The  long beds were full of phlox,stock.daisies,salvias,roses and a host of perennials which are carefully graduated in height with some climbers for height and structure.

When we arrived here the gardens were opened early for us so we were ahead of the crowds. You enter the garden and arrive into the walled gardens where you enter a herb garden,a vegetable garden with a variety of fruit trees espaliared along the brick  walls and a huge glasshouse with figs and peach trees and many frost tender plants.
The vegetable garden had these lovely borders of white and red  rugosa roses on both sides of the main walk  with a red double climbing polyantha roses over arches along the walk .This garden had lots of old roses in several different plantings. There was a huge collection of vegetables growing happily in their sheltered conditions.  I want a brick wall !!!!

This garden lead you further into another large walled inner garden with a fountain in the centre. A formal arrangement but some lovely borders here too with lots of plantings on the walls so there are many layers to look at. There were some lovely hydrangea plants in this garden. Formal seats and places to sit and admire the scene,statues and plinths contribute to the formal look.

From this garden you emerge into the long herbaceous borders , hedges beautifully trimmed, some striking  topiary also in this area too for dramatic interest. From here you move to  the Ilex Avenue, the tennis court  and another private  area for burials of their horses with odes to their memories recorded on bronze plaques.
There was a lovely stream in this area too with rhodendrons and azaleas, hostas and acid loving plants  with a pretty walkway leading out to a haha looking out over the farmlands.

This was an extensive,beautifully maintained garden with many sheltered private gardens to enjoy. There was a gorgeous old Victorian tea cottage for taking tea set amongst shrub  roses ,fuschia and climbing clematis ,ladies mantle and catmint borders. Just lovely.

You walked on much further to the Grove and woodland walk with a sculpture trail and beautiful old tree specimens set in lawns. In the spring this is a riot of bulbs followed by plantings of  rhododendrons,magnolias,azaleas and camellias. There was a film to watch showing the history of the garden and a film of the garden throughout the seasons.It would be a lovely place to visit in springtime. The autumn colours looked dramatic too.

We had time for lunch here before moving on to our next garden after lunch.