An English country garden at one of the oldest buildings in Darlington is opening its gates to the public.
Thornton Hall Gardens, near Darlington, is opening to the public on three dates in July to raise money for charity.
Sue Manners, who has designed and looks after the garden, said: “It is looking fabulous at the moment.
“We want people to come but so many people don’t know a thing about it.”
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The garden is blooming with roses and delphiniums at the moment, and there is also a wildlife pond to explore, a vegetable garden, quirky corners to explore and plenty of seats.
“People can really take their time to enjoy their visit and soak in the scents,” Sue added.
“We have two summerhouses where you can watch the swallows and there are baby hedgehogs running all over the lawns. It’s just lovely. The birds and the wildlife are beautiful at the moment and it is all just two miles away from Darlington.”
Sue and her husband Michael moved to Thornton Hall, in Staindrop Road, in 1989, when the land was just a paddock used for grazing animals, and started developing a garden in the summer of 1995.
It sits next to the hall, which is a Grade I listed building built in about 1550, which has been owned by a trust since 1752.
Through trial and error, she has managed to create a haven over the last two decades or so.
She said: “The best thing about the garden is when we started we had a complete blank canvas. We had two grassy paddocks and over 20 years we have slowly tried to create a garden. There is no masterplan but we’ve been fortunate. It shows anyone can do it. We didn’t really know that much about gardening and we’ve created this paradise.
“We started with nothing and now we have an oasis of colour. It’s so tranquil and calm. I had one lady burst into tears because she said it was so beautiful.
“This is a complete hobby that’s got out of hand. We never set out to open the gardens but the house sets off the garden and it brings so much pleasure to people.”
This year’s open days, which are run by the family, are in aid of the Sick Children’s Trust and Great North Air Ambulance.
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The garden will be open from 10am to 4pm on Wednesday July 6, 13 and 20.
Entry is £7.50 and there are no concessions. It is cash only.
Light lunches and afternoon tea is provided by Davina Lovegreen Catering.
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