RHS Garden Bridgewater, Manchester

Itinerary

RHS Garden, Bridgewater

The herculean task of restoring, regenerating and replanting Bridgewater has been a labour of love for staff, volunteers and contractors. Their hard work, the vision of award-winning designers and the extraordinary heritage of the site has come together to create a truly inspiring garden.

There is so much to see. The Weston Walled Garden, which is one of the largest walled gardens in the country, contains multiple garden rooms. A stroll through the garden is a journey of exploration with colourful themed borders and complementary sub-gardens each exploring a different horticultural style and characterful listed buildings. The gardens are surrounded by the wider woodland, meadows and lakes.

The world renowned landscape architect, Tom Stuart Smith, created Bridgewater’s master plan incorporating several large gardens within its boundaries including the Wellbeing Garden, an Orchard Garden, which focuses on traditional fruit trees, and a Bee and Butterfly Garden. These sit alongside a Kitchen Garden, a Paradise Garden and a Learning Garden which was designed by students from Manchester Metropolitan University.

Although Worsley Hall mansion no longer remains, echoes of the original gardens, including the historic walled garden, ice-house, lake and formal terraces, can still be seen.

Water plays a big part in the gardens. The unique Chinese Streamside Garden was created in partnership with the local Chinese community. The Ellesmere Lake and Moon Bridge Water are now complete and offer peaceful lakeside walks.

There is plenty of seating if you would like to bring a picnic or to simply sit and admire the ever changing surroundings. The café and some outlets provide meals, snacks and drinks. There is a well-stocked nursery and gift shop.

We can’t wait to get back again and see how the garden has developed over the last twelve months.

Booking your place

The cost for the day is £57 for RHS members and £70 for non-members. Includes return coach travel and entry into RHS Bridgewater Gardens and garden tour.

Non-refundable deposit £20 per person payable on booking. Full payment is due 10 weeks before departure.

Accessibility & Mobility Information: This following statement is copied from the RHS Bridgewater website. Follow the link to visit the page for more detailed information.

Access to gardens and buildings

There are accessible pathways across most areas of the garden. Pathways in the Weston Walled Garden and those leading to Ellesmere Lake are made of tarmacadam with bonded stone chippings and are suitable for pushchairs, manual wheelchairs, electric wheelchairs and mobility scooters. Paths around Ellesmere Lake are a mixture of stone paths, bark mulch and grass mown paths. Paths in the Lower Middle Wood are hard-core (not a smooth surface) and are not suitable for push wheelchairs. Please see further details in our ‘At a glance: when you arrive’ section.

RHS Garden Bridgewater, Manchester

Tour Information

Bridgewater is the Royal Horticultural Society’s (RHS) first new garden since it acquired Harlow Carr in North Yorkshire in 2001, and is one of Europe’s largest gardening projects. As you would expect from the RHS it is an exceptional garden that is evolving each year.

Included in the cost is:

Itinerary

RHS Garden, Bridgewater

Booking your place