The beautifully-designed Greater Manchester garden which is completely free to visit
08.08.2022 - 09:11
/ manchestereveningnews.co.uk
Tucked away off Marsland Road in Sale is one of Greater Manchester’s horticultural hidden gems. Walkden Gardens occupies a small patch of land, yet it manages to pack a lot in with several ‘rooms’ waiting to be explored.
Visitors can take a stroll through the magnificent wisteria arch, which is over 70ft long, and drowns out any traffic noise from the surrounding area. A wander around reveals a fuchsia garden, a mini-arboretum and a conifer garden, all containing different plants and creating the feeling of being in a much larger space.
Owned by Trafford Council, who maintain the park alongside the Friends Group, made up of volunteers, Walkden Gardens is named after Harry Walkden, who owned a plant nursery at the current site. The gardens themselves were inspired by the well-known 20th century garden at Hidcote Manor in Gloucester.
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A unique feature is the theatre lawn, a large grassed area surrounded by tall beech hedges which can seat up to 500 people. This space plays a role in the local community with various productions being held there, including Macbeth and Alice in Wonderland.
In the past it has hosted pop-up cinema events, while yoga sessions are held throughout the summer months. The theatre lawn is a place for people to come together and enjoy activities in a rather unusual environment.
Another intriguing aspect of Walkden Gardens in the Dovecote, a small round tower which you can’t miss if you visit the gardens. It’s currently being repaired but it originally stood in the grounds of Sale Old Hall, which was demolished in the 1920s.
When the M60 was widened the Dovecote was taken apart brick by brick and stored in a