SIR John Hall – at 82, sprightly and still with a twinkle in his eye – looks like the cat who got the cream. And well he might. It is the launch of the rose garden which, since buying Wynyard Hall in 1987, it has been his dream to establish. The impulse to grow and tend his favourite flowers dates back much further, to when Sir John was a boy of 14 growing up in Ashington.

It was his miner father who first introduced him to gardening, donating a small patch of soil normally used for growing vegetables at the back of the family’s terraced house. Sir John bought his first roses from Andersons of Aberdeen, reasoning that the further north they came from, the hardier they were likely to be, and began to cultivate them – by his own admission, ineptly.

Growing produce was popular in post-war mining communities, driven by the desire for cheap, nutritious food, but there was something about roses, in particular, which captivated Sir John. He has never lost that fascination. “To me, they are really the most wonderful flower,” he says. “The English rose is the symbol of England and I’m very proud of being English. It symbolises to me everything that’s great about England.” Then, with a radiant smile, he adds: “When they put me in my box, they’re going to put an English rose in with me. I’ve got my spot picked just outside the Hall.”

Entering the Walled Garden, with its expanse of ancient brickwork, the first impression is of absolute calm. It is as if the essence of peace itself has been encapsulated within the four walls, with the only audible sound being the trickle of water. This sense of a haven is exactly what RHS award-winning landscape architect Alistair Baldwin set out to achieve. Having visited gardens throughout Europe and spoken to several designers, Sir John chose Bedale-based Alistair to realise his ambition for a spectacular rose garden. It was, says the latter, the opportunity of a lifetime.

“Things like this don’t come along very often for people like me,” he admits. “I can’t tell you how privileged I feel to have looked after the project for Sir John for the past couple of years. I feel like I’ve been a custodian of a vision.”

The other key contributor to the Walled Garden – with equal passion for the project – has been rose specialist Michael Marriott of David Austin Roses. Working closely with Alistair, and under the direction of Sir John and his daughter, Allison Antonopoulos, Michael has sourced 140 rose varieties to amass a collection of 3,000 – making it the largest in Britain. For him, the point is pure sensory pleasure. “There’s an expression, stop and smell the roses – do do that,” he urges. “It’s good for the soul.”

Harking back to the traditions of both crop growing and kitchen gardens, the eastern half of the Walled Garden is arranged in clusters of raised beds with fountains as centrepieces, while the western half is more open-plan, taking inspiration from the first walled gardens in ancient Persia. Marking the entrance is a brand new visitor centre and it is here that Allison, who, as managing director of Wynyard Hall, has worked alongside her father to help realise his ideas, has most obviously exerted her influence.

Light and bright, in shades of white and soft sage, the building is entirely enclosed within the Walled Garden, with the wall itself left exposed on one side. It has been modelled on Allison’s favourite farm shops – Weetons of Harrogate and the Gloucestershire-based Daylesford chain – and incorporates a café, bakery and delicatessen.

Adjacent to the Walled Garden, and with a rose-lined path leading directly to it, is the other main part of the development to have so far been completed – the 700-capacity Marquee. Designed for conferences and larger weddings, its white-draped interior and carpeted floor add a feel of luxury and prevent it from seeming too functional.

An added bonus for brides and grooms is that it has its own Marquee Garden, based on the original Italianate version created by former Wynyard Hall resident Frances Anne Vane Tempest, Marchioness of Londonderry, in the 19th Century. Entirely different in character to the Walled Garden, this is a wide expanse of lawn flanked by soft ornamental grasses and topiary. At its far end, leading out onto parkland, stand the Ratisbon Gates, which, having overlooked Wynyard Hall for centuries, have now been restored.

As part of a five-year plan, Sir John aims to develop the site further to include a cookery school and a children’s garden, while visitors will also be free to roam less cultivated parts of the 150-acre grounds. More roses will be planted, taking the total to around 5,000 or 6,000 and firmly cementing the gardens’ theme. It is hoped that, ultimately, having paid the £5 admission fee, people will spend an entire day there, reviving a tradition established by Wynyard’s former owners, the Marquises of Londonderry.

For Sir John, known for establishing the MetroCentre and as the former owner of Newcastle United Football Club, the idea was always to create something on a grand scale. When he bought Wynyard Hall from Alistair, Lord Londonderry, who was forced to sell it due to spiralling debts, the peer – despite his resentment – acknowledged that Sir John was a remarkable businessman with outstanding entrepreneurial skills. It is these skills which, even at the age 82, have resulted in a project of such vision and bold ambition that it would be hard not to be impressed.

Always looking to the future, Sir John hopes to form an alliance with other landmark gardens, like Alnwick Garden. “I would like to bring all the professional people together to create a garden trail,” he says. “This will be a tremendous asset to Teesside and bring a lot of tourists.”

Describing himself as “the miner’s son in the coal owner’s house”, Sir John is keen to stress that he is merely a custodian of Wynyard Hall and Gardens. Yet it is clear that through his investment in both, he hopes to leave a legacy that will be remembered for generations to come. “The North-East of England has given me everything I have and I have tried, throughout my working life, to give something back to it,” he says. “My rose garden will be my legacy – probably my last legacy – to the North-East.”

www.wynyardhall.co.uk/gardens