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Please check with garden owners or their website to confirm current dates open
2nd Jan - 31st Mar; Thurs - Mon; 10am - 4pm + BHs
1st Apr - 31st Dec; daily; 10am - 5pm + BHs
Closed 24-26th Dec and 1st Jan.
End May - end June
Snowdrops species and hardy hybrid rhododendrons and azaleas. Formal terraces, quarry garden and sp. lilies.
Adult £7.50; Child £4; Concessions £6.80; Family ticket (2A + 3C) £19.50. Under fives and English Heritage members free.
Picnics in picnic area only. Dogs on lead at all times. Dogs (except Guide) not in buildings and must be kept on short leads. Tea room is open in Apr - Oct only. Plants for sale in summer season only.
14th Century Castle, 17th Century manor House, 19th Century Greek Revival Hall. 30 acres of Picturesque-style gardens.
Iris (Series Spuriae) - July Flowers.
The Waggon Inn, on A696
The Highlander Inn, on A696
The Beresford Arms, Whalton
Ponteland 6 miles
Morpeth 10 miles
Newcastle 14 miles
Belsay Hall has a garden very much in the Picturesque style. It consists of formal terraces to the south of the 19th century Greek Revival Hall, with many original plantings surviving. The terrace overlooks a 2 acre rhododendron garden full of colour for about a month from the end of May. Form the terraces the visitor moves on to the Magnolia Terrace, where the recently restored rose border flowers well into October. Parallel to this is another long border planted with interesting and colourful herbaceous plants. Belsay is very much a plantsman's garden.
To the west, there is a winter garden with spring and summer flowering heathers, scented tree heathers and large Douglas firs, among the earliest planted in this Country. There is also a fine croquet lawn where visitors can watch the Belsay Croquet Club playing on most summer days.
The Quarry Garden was carefully planted by Sir Charles Monck who created the garden by making a series of ravines, corridors and pinnacles which house all manner of rare and exotic plants. Species rhododendrons flower in the Quarry Garden from November to August, climbers scramble 30 feet up the quarry faces, spring bulbs carpet the meadow and recently planted species lilies, the aristocrats of any garden, flower from May to September.
In the early 17th century a formal garden with statues, topiary, and enclosed by walls and fronted by railings was created in front of the Manor House and Castle. This garden no longer survives. In the following century, parkland developed around the Castle, especially under the impetus of Sir William Middleton, the 5th Baronet (1769-95).
From the early to the middle part of the 19th century, between the years 1807 - 1867, Sir Charles Monck developed the gardens in the Picturesque style. He was succeeded by his grandson, Sir Arthur Middleton, who further developed the gardens until his death in 1933. He introduced many new plants and planted the Rhododendron Garden and the Hall Terrace.
After a period of neglect during the Second World War, the gardens continued to be maintained, but major restoration, conservation and re-planting only began again when English Heritage accepted guardianship of the site in 1984, following a Deed of Gift in 1980.