The private gardens of a North Northumberland country house will be open to the public this Sunday 11th June, to raise money for HospiceCare.
The gardens at Glanton Pyke – considered to be amongst the best in Northumberland – open on just one day of the year, allowing visitors the unique opportunity to explore almost 20 acres of grounds.
The horticultural delights on offer include a number of beautiful, individually styled gardens, superb specimen trees, greenhouses, a maze, water features, a meadow and woodland walks.
Refreshments – including tea and scones – will be available to buy on the day with all proceeds going towards the independent, nurse-led palliative care charity, which has bases in both Alnwick and Berwick. There will also be plant stalls for those looking to add to their own garden.
HospiceCare North Northumberland is dedicated to providing care and support to adults, carers and families, whose lives are affected by cancer, dementia and other life limiting illnesses. The charity currently needs to generate over £550,000 this year and receives just 7% of that figure from the NHS – with the rest raised through fundraising and by donations.
Glanton Pyke is owned by John and Claire Swanson. John, a trustee of the charity, said: “We open our gardens just once a year and have been doing so for the last five years to raise money for this fantastic, hard-working charity. Including donations on the day we raised over £10,000 last year and hope to top that this year’s open event.
“Although I get involved in the garden design, my wife Claire is the one with green fingers and the driving force behind these wonderful gardens which have evolved since we moved here 30 years ago. We hope our visitors get as much enjoyment out of them as we do.”
The earliest records of Glanton Pyke – which was built and owned by the Mills family – date back to 1706 but the house was continually altered and extended in the years that followed. The layout of the house – and grounds as they appear today – is largely the work of renowned architect John Dobson who, in 1820, was commissioned by then owner Henry Collingwood, to re-orientate and extend the property.
It stayed in the Collingwood family until 1987 when it was purchased by the Swansons.
The gardens, post code NE66 4BB, are located one mile west of Glanton just off the A697 and will be open from 1pm to 5pm on Sunday 11th of June. The cost of entry is £5 with children admitted free of charge