A fabulous new garden has been opened at one of North Yorkshire’s top attractions.
TV star Gyles Brandreth did the honours, opening the Rock Garden at Newby Hall, near Ripon.
The gardening team, led by Newby Hall’s head gardener Lawrence Wright, have spent many months redeveloping the Edwardian Rock Garden.
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Gyles told the gathering that he first discovered Newby Hall & Gardens about 20 years ago, when he came here to make a film for BBC’s The One Show.
It was the place the royal family would have been evacuated to if the Germans had invaded in the Second World War he said, “because they knew Yorkshire was impregnable”.
Gyles said it was then he met the owners Lucinda and Richard Compton.
“I was lucky enough to spend some time this morning visiting the Rock Garden that we’re going to visit now,” Gyles said.
“Lawrence was with me, and Lucinda was with me, and they talked about all the wonderful work they’d done.
“It was created in 1914 with 10,000 new plants, how the overhanging trees had to be taken away, and how it became this place reborn.
“What they have managed to do is create for us in 2026 an enchanted place. This is a wonderful achievement.
“There are alpine plants here that you can’t see anywhere else. It is magical.
“Conceived more than 100 years ago, it’s been reborn now, and in this dark and difficult world, we need the the innocence, the beauty, and the childlike joy that we can have when visited an enchanted place.”
You can find out more about Newby Hall and Gardens on its website here.
