TONNES of stone from the heart of the Yorkshire Dales is being transported to London to add authenticity to a Chelsea Flower Show garden.

The 50 tonnes of of walling stone and glacial boulders have been loaned by the Bolton Estate in Wensleydale to build a bothy, a genuine drystone wall and to help create a tumbling beck and stream for the Welcome to Yorkshire show garden at RHS Chelsea.

Garden designer Mark Gregory said he has been inspired by the stunning Dales, world famous for its Wensleydale cheese, wildflower and buttercup meadows and iconic drystone walls.

This year’s garden will also showcase the produce found in the Dales, especially Yorkshire Wensleydale.

Genuine traditional cheese-making equipment is being loaned to Welcome to Yorkshire by the Wensleydale Creamery in Hawes. This will be used when cheese production takes place in the bothy at certain points during the show, adding even more genuine Yorkshire sights and smells to the garden.

Sir Gary Verity chief executive of Welcome to Yorkshire said: “It’s brilliant to see this stunning design being turned into reality. “Borrowing some genuine pieces of Yorkshire is a fantastic way to make our garden shine as brightly as this great county does when viewed first hand, and we’re incredibly grateful to the Bolton Estate, Wensleydale Creamery and Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority for all their help and support in making this happen.

“We promise to take great care of these precious pieces of Yorkshire and return them straight after the show.”