Helmsley Walled Garden

About the garden

Owned by

June Tainsh

Helmsley Walled Garden is five glorious acres in the North York Moors National Park. A patchwork of small, intimate gardens planted up with beautiful displays of flowers, fruit and vegetables. Used as one of the locations for the new film version of The Secret Garden, it is full of corners to explore and an explosion of seasonal colours.

Benches and seating are dotted around the garden, encouraging visitors to take a moment to sit and soak in some of the garden’s tranquillity. The garden is fully accessible. Well-behaved dogs on leads are welcome throughout the garden, café and shop.

Originally the kitchen garden for Duncombe Park, the garden was abandoned in the 1980s. Local woman Alison Ticehurst began restoration in 1994 with the aim of creating a beautiful garden to visit that would also be a therapeutic place working to change lives through horticulture. Today we continue to provide a range of nature-based activities designed to help individuals dealing with a range of issues such as depression and social isolation to recover their confidence and well-being by gardening with others.

The garden is constantly evolving. New areas include a labyrinth, a sculpture trail, a complete overhaul of the Garden of Nature, showcasing British native plants that provide food for insects, butterflies and pollinators and a replanting of The Physic Garden. Work continues in our very own Secret Garden, planted up with flowers mentioned in the novel of the same name by Frances Hodgson Burnett.

The award-winning Vine House Café provides a range of delicious cakes and lunches with a changing specials board and a collection of specially curated gins. Our garden shop and plant centre carry a range of plants propagated in the garden, gifts, cards, books and a range of produce made in Yorkshire.

Group and coach visits are welcome by prior arrangement. Wheelchairs are available on free loan so everyone can explore the garden and there are many benches so you can just stop and admire the view.