The Best Yorkshire Gardens to Visit This Autumn
Summer may be over, but these Yorkshire gardens still have plenty of colour on show
Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal
A World Heritage Site, autumn is one of the most colourful times to pay a visit to Studley Royal. Walk amongst the haunting Gothic ruins of Fountains Abbey, one of the best preserved Cistercian monasteries, and see the blazing reds, oranges and yellows of the trees reflected in the moon ponds and lakes. The water garden here is one of the best surviving examples of a Georgian water garden in the country, and the parkland is home to more than 300 red, sika and fallow deer.
Fountains, Ripon HG4 3DY
Himalayan Garden & Sculpture Park
Covering 45 acres of beautiful parkland, Himalayan Garden and Sculpture Park promises a unique day out with 90 sculptures dotted around the park (including a mini Stonehenge). In autumn, the Bali-built red pagoda overlooking the lakeside is surrounded with seasonal colour, transporting visitors to a distant country. The garden is supported by the Hutts Foundation, of which Joanna Lumley is a patron.
The Hutts Grewelthorpe, Ripon HG4 3DA
Beningbrough Hall
Beningbrough Hall is a garden for all seasons, and autumn is no exception. The rare variegated oak tree’s leaves turn a burnished bronze before falling, and lime trees at the north of the hall take on a golden hue. In the walled garden, gourds, pumpkins and apples grow in all shapes, colours and sizes.
Beningbrough, York YO30 1DD
Brodsworth Hall
Historic Brodsworth Hall shows its influences in autumn, as ornamental trees change colour in the Formal Gardens and Victorian-style topiary takes the limelight. More than 100 cultivars of holly live throughout the garden, many of which are survivors of the original Victorian plot; in autumn, they’re bright with berries, benefitting the 150 species of bird that call the estate home. Acer trees come into their own at this time of year, deepening to red, and autumn bulbs flower pink, white and lilac. A meander through the grove allows visitors to reach the fairylike Fern Dell, transporting them to a magical woodland.
Brodsworth, Doncaster DN5 7XJ
The Yorkshire Arboretum
Located across 120 acres of woodland on the Castle Howard estate, The Yorkshire Arboretum is home to more than 7,000 trees from around the world, many of which were brought from Kew Royal Botanic Gardens. Mature oaks and sweet chestnuts date back to the 1780s and a small breeding group of red squirrels live in a grove of trees at the Arboretum and autumn is when they can be found gathering food for the colder months ahead.
Castle Howard, York, YO60 7BY
Wentworth Castle Gardens
South Yorkshire’s only Grade-I listed landscape, with a formal garden, parkland, monuments and a folly, Wentworth Castle Gardens is just a stone’s throw from Barnsley. At this time of year, Lady Lucy’s Walk really comes into its own; the avenue of lime trees changes from green to gold, carpeting the ground under foot. Stainborough Castle, the site’s folly, is home to four species of bat: the brown long-eared bat, noctule, common pipistrelle and Natterer’s bat.
Park Drive, Barnsley S75 3EN
Raby Castle
Raby Castle’s recent ambitious development The Rising included a renovation of their Walled Gardens. Remodelled by Luciano Giubbilei and Lady Barnard, the five-acre space is home to a formal garden comprised of yew mazes and an original ornamental pond. The West Garden is a space for produce, growing seasonal vegetables and hot house plants in the greenhouse. Rutting season at the deer park sees male deer clash antlers and put on an impressive display in a bid to win the attention of females.
Staindrop, County Durham DL2 3AH
Harewood House
The Lakeside Gardens at Harewood House are the perfect place to enjoy the changing seasons. Take a turn around the lake and admire the leaves reflected in the still waters, with the Black Walnut tree’s leaves turning a rich gold. The tallest Grand Fir tree in Yorkshire grows in the Lakeside Gardens, as do the two oldest trees on the estate, which date back to the garden’s creator Capability Brown.
Harewood, Leeds LS17 9LG
Helmsley Walled Garden
Situated beneath the imposing ruins of Helmsley Castle, safe behind stone walls, the garden was initially built in 1758 to provide fruit and vegetables to the Feversham family at Duncombe Park. Its parallelogram design creates intimate garden rooms, and the walls are lined with fruit which ripens in autumn, as well as maple trees which turn a striking red. This October, the garden celebrates apple day with apple pruning workshops, apple trails and themed baked goods and juices all showcasing the more than 100 varieties of apples in the garden.
Cleveland Way, Helmsley YO62 5AH
RHS Harlow Carr
RHS Harlow Carr has so much to offer this autumn. In the Winter Garden, interest begins with changing foliage, ripe berries and heady scented flowers. Streamside, the snake bark maple Acer gives a deadly bite of seasonal colour, contrasting with the unusual white berries of the Leucocarpa. In the Kitchen Garden, it’s harvest time for pumpkins, chillies, brassicas and chard. Japanese maples are the highlight of the Rock Garden, and near the lake, the swamp cypress and dawn redwood are reflected. Crisp leaves can be felt underfoot in the woodland, with the scent of toffee apples hanging in the air from the Katsura’s decaying leaves.
Harrogate HG3 1QB
York Gate
Small but mighty, the one-acre York Gate is a magical garden created by the Spencer family in 1951. Perennial architectural topiary draws the eye as you walk through the 14 individual garden rooms and see the maples transform, taking on warm, burnished reds and copper tones, changing the garden entirely.
Back Church Lane, Leeds LS16 8DW
Nunnington Hall
This organic garden promises autumn fruit harvests, with orchard trees heavy with apples, pears and plums. You can also see traditional horticulture methods at work here, with a four-bay composting system, fruit cages and an organic vegetable patch.
Nunnington, North Yorkshire YO62 5UY
Thorp Perrow Arboretum
During autumn, the woodland trails here are set ablaze as the leaves morph through hues of gold, orange, red and purple. The Arboretum is the most important of its kind in the North, spanning 100 acres and housing five National Plant Collections and 51 Champion Trees. Thorp Perrow is also home to more than 100 birds, including birds of prey such as owls, eagles and falcons.
Bedale DL8 2PS
Scampston Hall
Designed by Dutch plantsman Piet Oudolf, the garden at Scampston Hall is modern and contemporary. The garden focuses on structure; each room within has its own distinctive character. This autumn, step into the Katsura Grove and breathe in the smell of burnt sugar as the golden leaves fall. Or, visit the Perennial Meadow for year-round beauty.
Malton YO17 8NG
Auckland Gardens
Almost a decade in the making, Auckland Gardens have been reimagined by Pip Morrison to complement the castle and its surroundings. Originally designed for the Prince Bishops of Durham, the 17th century Walled Garden yields fresh fruit and root vegetables all autumn long. The changing leaves can be best witnessed in the Wilderness Garden, whilst The Faith Garden is a quiet spot for contemplation, its design reflecting the medieval chapel which once stood on the site. For views right across the Deer Park, head to the North Terrace.
The Auckland Project, Bishop Auckland DL14 7PG
Newby Hall
Created in the mid 1990s, Newby Hall’s autumn garden is the only one on this list specially devoted to the season. Its walls enclose a variety of unusual hydrangeas and late-flowering salvias, showcasing a rainbow of colours. 800 dahlias grown in-house form the backbone of annual planting and their ever-changing blooms mean that the garden is never the same year on year.The Farges harlequin glorybower shrub and Japanese bitter orange both fill the air with a sweet scent, the latter producing fruits like miniature oranges. Late-flowering herbs attract bees and butterflies. Newby Hall is also home to multiple other gardens; highlights include the woodsy Rock Garden, White Garden and Sylvia’s Garden, which was dedicated to the wife of Major Compton in 1930.
Ripon HG4 5AE
