Gardens and Historic Houses in Cheshire
Adlington Hall & Hunting Lodge
Black and white timber-framed Elizabethan house, with a Georgian porticoed brick built wing. The house began as a Saxon hunting lodge and the two massive oak trees, around which it was built, are still rooted in the ground forming carved pillars flanking the organ in the great hall. The restored 18th-c landscaped gardens and parkland (originally laid-out by Charles Legh), contains several follies, a rose garden, yew maze, yew walk and peaceful lime avenue, plus a wilderness garden.
Opening times: Sundays and BH Mondays, April to September, see website for details Admission Charge
Location: Mill Lane, Adlington, Macclesfield,
Cheshire, SK10 4LF - Tel: 01625 827595 - Website
Facilities: car park, tea room
Image Credit: John Swallow (CC BY-SA 3.0)
Arley Hall & Gardens
Victorian Jacobean style mansion, containing fine period furniture, plasterwork and panelling; set in well established gardens dating from Henry VIII's time. In the walled gardens are yew hedges, azaleas, shrub roses, rhododendrons and herbaceous borders. There is also an unusual avenue of clipped Ilex trees, a herb garden, scented garden and a woodland garden containing many exotic trees. A 16th-c Tudor barn in the grounds has been converted into a pleasant restaurant.
Opening times: Apr-Sep, Tue-Sun & BH 11am to 5pm
Admission Charge
Location: Northwich, CW9 6NA - Tel: 01565 777353
- Website
Facilities: Parking, refreshments, shop
Capesthorne Hall
Ancestral home of the Bromley-Davenports. The hall and its chapel date from 1722, although there are some later alterations. The property is set in magnificent lakeside gardens. Spring and early summer are the ideal times to enjoy the garden with its lovely daffodil filled lawns and herbaceous and shrub filled borders. The house contains a diverse range of sculptures and paintings.
Opening times: Apr-Oct, Sun & Mon (inc BH), 12 to 5pm (closed Xmas & NY)
Admission Charge
Location: SK11 9JY - Tel: 01625 861221 -
Website
Facilities: Parking, restaurant, shop?
Gawsworth Hall
Charming Tudor black-and-white manor house, birthplace of Mary Fitton, though to be the 'Dark Lady' of Shakespeare's sonnets. The interior remains virtually unchanged since Tudor times and contains period artwork, armour, furniture, sculpture and stained glass. The surrounding park contains a restored Elizabethan pleasure garden and medieval tilting ground.
Opening times: May~Sep: Sun 2 to 5pm, Jun~Aug: daily 2 to 5pm Admission Charge
Location: Church Lane, Gawsworth, Cheshire,
SK11 9RN - Tel: 01260 223456 - Website
Facilities: parking, tea room, gift shop
Hare Hill
Beautiful gardens and parkland with woodland walks, boasting lovely displays of rhododendrons and azaleas in May. Run by National Trust*
Opening times: Apr-Oct, Wed-Thu & Sat-Sun; 3-30 (May, daily, 10-5) Admission Charge*
Location: Over Alderley, Macclesfield, SK10
4QB -Tel: 01625 584412 - Website
Facilities: parking, picnic area
Little Moreton Hall
A charming, timber-framed, higgledy piggledy house, with leaning walls, elegant gables and windows. Great hall and long gallery with original panelling and flooring and fine wall paintings. Outside there is a moat, traditional knot and herb garden, orchard and herbaceous borders.
Opening times: vary, see website Admission Charge
Location: Congleton, CW1 24SD - Tel: 01260 272018
-
Website
Facilities: Parking, guided tours, restaurant, shop
Image Credit: petergaunt2 (CC0)
Lyme Park
Classic Italianate style Palladian palace, built around a central courtyard. The only indication remaining of its humble Tudor origins is the large Tudor gateway at the entrance. The house contains a fine collection of pictures and lavish furnishings. The state rooms are richly paneled with superb wood carvings and tapestries. Set in Victorian and Edwardian style gardens, with a formal sunken parterre, lake and orangery. Surrounded by extensive parkland and an impressive 1,300-acre deer park.
Opening times: Feb-Oct: Fri-Tue, 11am to 5pm; garden open daily
Admission Charge
Location: Disley, Stockport, SK12 2NR - Tel:
01663 762023 -
Website
Facilities: parking (1 mile away), licensed restaurant, gift shop, bookshop, children's quiz/trail and play area
Ness Gardens (Liverpool University Botanic Gardens)
A veritable gardener's paradise, with a diverse range of plants providing interest for amateurs, enthusiasts and horticulturists alike. Set in sweeping lawns, with flower beds, water gardens, terrace gardens, rock gardens and glasshouses. Visitor centre offers regular lectures, courses and special events.
Opening times: all year, Feb-Oct, daily 10-5; Nov-Jan, daily 10-4.30 (closed Xmas)
Admission Charge
Location: Ness Gardens, CH64 4AY - Tel: 0845
0304063 -
Website
Facilities: Parking, garden centre, gift shop
Tatton Park
Georgian mansion set in a vast historic estate, with formal gardens laid out by Humphry Repton and Sir Joseph Paxton, including 52 acres of ornamental and woodland gardens, plus a 1,000 acre country park. The gardens contain sweeping lawns and borders, an orangery, and an authentic Japanese garden with a Shinto temple. The house is superbly furnished and contains fine furniture, china, silver and glass, plus a large collection of artwork, including works by Canaletto, Van Dyck and de Heem. A lovely feature of the drawing room is its silk covered walls.
Facilities include guided tours of the Tudor Old Hall (the original manor house), a working 1930s farm and a children's adventure playground. Special events run throughout the year, including the RHS flower show.
Opening times: Mar-Oct, 10-7; Oct-Mar 11-5
Admission Charge
Location: WA16 6QN - Tel: 01625 3744005 -
Website
Facilities: car parking, restaurant, gift shop, guided tours
Tabley House
Palladian mansion with an important collection of early English artwork. The house was designed by John Carr and completed in 1769; based on the Venetian architecture of Andrea Palladio, with a portico of four impressive doric sandstone columns. The house was the home of the Leicester family, and the 5th Baronet, Sir John Fleming Leicester, became the first real collector of British paintings. His collection, which includes works by Turner, Lawrence, Fuseli and Reynolds was so impressive, it was offered to the British Government for the basis of a national gallery. The house also contains a fine collection of period furniture by Chippendale, Gillow and Bullock.
Opening times: Apr-Oct, Thu-Sun & BHs, 2pm to 5pm
Admission Charge
Location: Knutsford, WA1 60HB - Tel: 01565 750151
-
Website
Facilities: parking, tea rooms, shop
Other Places to Visit in Cheshire
Alderley Edge | Catalyst Science Centre | Hack Green Nuclear Bunker | Jodrell Bank | Weaver Hall | Beeston Castle | Cholmondeley Castle | Nether Alderley Mill | Norton Priory | Quarry Bank Mill
Select Another Region To Visit
Towns and Cities in Cheshire
Please note that the above information was accurate at the time this page was last updated. This information is subject to change at any time (opening times in particular), therefore if you plan on visiting any of the above attractions, please check the owner's website first or phone them for the latest details.