Secret Walled Garden Tours

Wollaton Hall is running guided tours of its secret walled garden on Thursday 29 October, part of a series that's been going every Thursday morning since March. The garden itself is a four-acre site enclosed by twelve-foot walls and the Head Gardener's Cottage, built between 1783 and 1788. For a long time it had gone to seed, but over the last three years volunteers have been reclaiming it from the ravages of time and the encroachment of ivy and brambles, clearing the way so that flowers and vegetables can grow there again.

That's the thing about these tours: they're led by those very volunteers, the people who've spent the last few years working the ground. They're the ones who share the stories behind the restoration, so you're hearing about the work from the people who actually did it. The tour takes just over an hour, and you'll get a free leaflet about the walled garden to take home with you.

It's worth remembering where the garden sits. It's tucked inside Wollaton Park, 500 acres of estate that's home to two herds of wild deer, and the hall itself is an Elizabethan mansion designed by the architect Robert Smythson. If you've spent time in the park, this is a chance to step inside a part of it that usually stays behind those twelve-foot walls.

The tour starts at 10:30 am, and you'll need to meet at the entrance to the walled garden, opposite the lower car park. Entry is a donation of £5 in cash, and the free leaflet is included with that.