17 gardens, 5 free
Gardens to visit in North of England
The North has two RHS gardens, the grand gardens of Yorkshire's country houses, Victorian parks and glasshouses in its cities and, in Cumbria, some of the oldest garden layouts in England.
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Paid entry Ashbrook family
Arley Hall Gardens
Northwich, Cheshire
A family garden in Cheshire shaped over 270 years, famous for its double herbaceous border, with pleached limes, an ilex avenue, walled and kitchen gardens, a Victorian vinery and a woodland Grove.
Gardens: adults £13, children 4 to 16 £6.50, family £36 (high season 2026); adults £7, children £4, family £20 in low season; parking £4
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Paid entry English Heritage
Brodsworth Hall and Gardens
Doncaster, South Yorkshire
Victorian gardens restored by English Heritage around an 1860s country house near Doncaster, with colourful bedding, clipped topiary, a fern dell and the newly restored Miss Pam's Garden.
Paid entry, see website for current prices; booking online in advance saves up to 15%
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Paid entry Castle Howard Estate (Howard family)
Castle Howard Gardens
Malton, North Yorkshire
Grand 18th-century grounds around Vanbrugh's Baroque house in the Howardian Hills, with the Temple of the Four Winds, Hawksmoor's Mausoleum, lakes, woodland and lead statues.
Paid entry, see website for current prices; gardens-only and house and gardens tickets available, with a saving for booking online
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Paid entry Holker Estate (Cavendish family)
Holker Hall Gardens
Cark-in-Cartmel, Cumbria
A Cavendish family garden on the edge of Morecambe Bay, mixing formal gardens, a cascade and a Mawson sunken garden with meadows, a labyrinth and the ancient Great Holker Lime.
Gardens only: adults £11.95; hall and gardens: adults £15.95; children under 12 free
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Free entry Newcastle City Council
Jesmond Dene
Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear
A free wooded dene along the River Ouseburn in Newcastle, landscaped by William Armstrong in the 19th century with waterfalls and exotic trees, with a visitor centre, café and Pets Corner.
Free
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Paid entry Levens Hall
Levens Hall Gardens
Kendal, Cumbria
A 17th-century topiary garden in south Cumbria, laid out by Guillaume Beaumont from 1694, with more than 100 clipped shapes, some over 300 years old, at Levens Hall near Kendal.
Gardens only: adults £9, children 5 to 16 £3, family £21.50; house and gardens: adults £15, children £5, family £35.50 (2026)
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Paid entry Leeds City Council (Leeds Museums and Galleries)
Lotherton Hall Gardens
Aberford, West Yorkshire
An Edwardian country house estate east of Leeds, with enclosed gardens laid out by Gwendolen Gascoigne between 1893 and 1914, a walled rose garden under restoration, a heritage orchard and a red deer park.
Estate entry: adults £10.50 online or £11 on the gate; children 3 to 15 £6.25 online or £6.50 on the gate; parking included
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Paid entry University of Liverpool
Ness Botanic Gardens
Neston, Cheshire
The University of Liverpool's botanic garden on the Wirral, begun in 1898 by cotton merchant Arthur Bulley, with plant-hunter collections from China and the Himalaya and views over the Dee to Wales.
Adults £9.25 with Gift Aid or £8.50 without; children 5 to 16 £4.85 (£4.50); under 5s free; concessions £8.15 (£7.50); family £23 (£21.50)
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Paid entry Royal Horticultural Society
RHS Garden Bridgewater
Worsley, Greater Manchester
The newest RHS garden, opened in 2021 on the site of Worsley New Hall in Salford, with a restored walled garden split into Paradise and Kitchen gardens, lakes, woodland and a Chinese garden.
Adults £18.40 on the day, from £13.60 when booked online; children 5 to 16 £6, under 5s free; car-free adults £12.90
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Paid entry Royal Horticultural Society
RHS Garden Harlow Carr
Harrogate, North Yorkshire
The RHS garden for the north, set in a Yorkshire valley near Harrogate, with Streamside planting, woodland, an Alpine House, Kitchen Garden and a branch of Bettys.
Adults £18.40 on the day, from £13.60 when booked online; children 5 to 16 £6, under 5s free; car-free adults £12.90
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Free entry Liverpool City Council; run by the Sefton Park Palm House Preservation Trust (charity)
Sefton Park Palm House
Liverpool, Merseyside
A free Victorian palm house in Liverpool's Sefton Park, opened in 1896, saved by a public campaign and restored in 2001, with plants arranged by continent and statues of famous botanists and explorers.
Free; donations welcome
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Free entry Sheffield City Council, with the Sheffield Botanical Gardens Trust and the Friends of the Botanical Gardens
Sheffield Botanical Gardens
Sheffield, South Yorkshire
A free Victorian botanical garden a mile and a half from Sheffield city centre, with listed glass pavilions, a rare bear pit, a rose garden and naturalistic prairie-style planting.
Free
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Free entry Sheffield City Council
Sheffield Winter Garden
Sheffield, South Yorkshire
A large timber-framed glasshouse in the heart of Sheffield, free to enter and open into the evening, holding thousands of plants from around the world next to the Millennium Gallery.
Free
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Paid entry National Trust
Studley Royal Water Garden at Fountains Abbey
Ripon, North Yorkshire
An 18th-century water garden of moon-shaped ponds, lakes and classical temples, laid out by John and William Aislabie beside the ruins of Fountains Abbey and a deer park.
Adults £21, or £23.10 including Gift Aid; children 5 to 17 £10.50; under 5s free
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Paid entry National Trust, managed by Cheshire East Council
Tatton Park Gardens
Knutsford, Cheshire
Fifty acres of historic gardens on the Egerton family estate near Knutsford, with a Japanese Garden, Victorian fernery and conservatory, Italian and rose gardens, a maze and kitchen gardens.
Gardens: adults £11, children 4 to 15 £9, under 4s free (10% off online); parkland vehicle entry £9 to £11 per car extra
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Paid entry The Alnwick Garden Trust (charity)
The Alnwick Garden
Alnwick, Northumberland
A modern garden beside Alnwick Castle, begun by the Duchess of Northumberland and designed by Wirtz International, with the Grand Cascade, Poison Garden, Rose Garden and Cherry Orchard.
Adults £19.70 with Gift Aid or £17.90 without (online, September to November 2026); up to four children aged 0 to 16 free with a paying adult
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Free entry North Yorkshire Council, with the Friends of Valley Gardens
Valley Gardens, Harrogate
Harrogate, North Yorkshire
A free Grade II listed park in Low Harrogate, laid out on the old spa wells of Bogs Field, with a 1930s Sun Pavilion and Colonnade, a Japanese garden and a woodland walk to RHS Harlow Carr.
Free; small charges for some games such as crazy golf and tennis
Prices and entry in North of England
A side by side summary. Prices and opening times change, so follow the link to each guide for details and sources.
| Garden | County | Entry | Price | Run by |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arley Hall Gardens | Cheshire | Paid entry | Gardens: adults £13, children 4 to 16 £6.50, family £36 (high season 2026); adults £7, children £4, family £20 in low season; parking £4 | Ashbrook family |
| Brodsworth Hall and Gardens | South Yorkshire | Paid entry | Paid entry, see website for current prices; booking online in advance saves up to 15% | English Heritage |
| Castle Howard Gardens | North Yorkshire | Paid entry | Paid entry, see website for current prices; gardens-only and house and gardens tickets available, with a saving for booking online | Castle Howard Estate (Howard family) |
| Holker Hall Gardens | Cumbria | Paid entry | Gardens only: adults £11.95; hall and gardens: adults £15.95; children under 12 free | Holker Estate (Cavendish family) |
| Jesmond Dene | Tyne and Wear | Free entry | Free | Newcastle City Council |
| Levens Hall Gardens | Cumbria | Paid entry | Gardens only: adults £9, children 5 to 16 £3, family £21.50; house and gardens: adults £15, children £5, family £35.50 (2026) | Levens Hall |
| Lotherton Hall Gardens | West Yorkshire | Paid entry | Estate entry: adults £10.50 online or £11 on the gate; children 3 to 15 £6.25 online or £6.50 on the gate; parking included | Leeds City Council (Leeds Museums and Galleries) |
| Ness Botanic Gardens | Cheshire | Paid entry | Adults £9.25 with Gift Aid or £8.50 without; children 5 to 16 £4.85 (£4.50); under 5s free; concessions £8.15 (£7.50); family £23 (£21.50) | University of Liverpool |
| RHS Garden Bridgewater | Greater Manchester | Paid entry | Adults £18.40 on the day, from £13.60 when booked online; children 5 to 16 £6, under 5s free; car-free adults £12.90 | Royal Horticultural Society |
| RHS Garden Harlow Carr | North Yorkshire | Paid entry | Adults £18.40 on the day, from £13.60 when booked online; children 5 to 16 £6, under 5s free; car-free adults £12.90 | Royal Horticultural Society |
| Sefton Park Palm House | Merseyside | Free entry | Free; donations welcome | Liverpool City Council; run by the Sefton Park Palm House Preservation Trust (charity) |
| Sheffield Botanical Gardens | South Yorkshire | Free entry | Free | Sheffield City Council, with the Sheffield Botanical Gardens Trust and the Friends of the Botanical Gardens |
| Sheffield Winter Garden | South Yorkshire | Free entry | Free | Sheffield City Council |
| Studley Royal Water Garden at Fountains Abbey | North Yorkshire | Paid entry | Adults £21, or £23.10 including Gift Aid; children 5 to 17 £10.50; under 5s free | National Trust |
| Tatton Park Gardens | Cheshire | Paid entry | Gardens: adults £11, children 4 to 15 £9, under 4s free (10% off online); parkland vehicle entry £9 to £11 per car extra | National Trust, managed by Cheshire East Council |
| The Alnwick Garden | Northumberland | Paid entry | Adults £19.70 with Gift Aid or £17.90 without (online, September to November 2026); up to four children aged 0 to 16 free with a paying adult | The Alnwick Garden Trust (charity) |
| Valley Gardens, Harrogate | North Yorkshire | Free entry | Free; small charges for some games such as crazy golf and tennis | North Yorkshire Council, with the Friends of Valley Gardens |