THE first images have been released of a huge rose garden due to become one of the biggest visitor attractions in the entire region.

Based at Wynyard Hall, near Stockton the garden already has 3,000 roses of 140 varieties in 150 acres and it is expected to eventually double in size to become the largest of its kind in Britain.

It is the vision of Sir John Hall and is the second stage of a £5.3m development of the gardens that includes a luxurious marquee, cookery school and visitor centre expected to attract thousands of visitors every year.

A preview of the garden was given to the press today (Friday, July 24) when Sir John, who bought Wynyard Hall in 1987, told of how he fell in love with cultivating roses as a 14-year-old coal miner's son in Ashington.

He said: "All coal miners' cottages in those days had long gardens at the rear, where the men would grow vegetables to supplement their incomes, but my dad gave me a small piece of the garden to grow my roses.

"I was fascinated by them. I tried to teach myself how to graft them, to take a cutting from one rose to grow another, but my fingers were clumsy and I I struggled to get it right. I loved everything about them, especially their colours and their beautiful fragrance. In that garden I made a promise to myself that one day I would have a rose garden of my own."

Sir John then outlined his vision for the garden as a visitor attraction.

He said: "I'm an Englishman and I'm very, very proud that the rose is the symbol of England. I am determined it will be the biggest rose garden in Britain.

"The North-East needs a symbol. We have Alnwick Gardens in the north and now Wynyard in the south.

“I would like us, and all the gardens in between, to get together to create a garden trail, it could be the Bernicia garden trail named after the ancient name of the North-East. I would hope that this would bring in people from outside the area to see what we have on offer.”

Visitors to the Walled Garden will enter through the visitor centre which also has a cafe and a farm shop selling painstakingly sourced produce and gifts.

The first stage of the project was the £1.7m installation of the Grand Marquee and Marquee Garden, for weddings and large scale corporate events and further stages will include a £2 million investment in the creation of a cookery school, children’s garden and valley walks through the parkland.

The official opening will take place on August 4, where Sir John Hall and the UK’s leading rose expert Michael Marriott will cut the ribbon to declare it officially open. That event has sold out.

Normal admission prices will be £5 for adults and £2 for children aged between five and 12. There will also be a family pass for £14 and an annual pass for £30. Call 01740-644811 to find out more