Peter Truman Photography

Hopton Hall is very well known for its marvellous displays of snowdrops and aconites every year - and when the gardens are opened to the public each February to see them. A well marked path snakes its way round the woodland and formal gardens where several different varieties of snowdrop stand to attention as you pass. During February, of course, the gardens are extremely barren and only show hints of what the display will look like later in the year. This year, however, the gardens were opened throughout the summer for visitors to see and enjoy the amazing displays, particularly the roses in the 1 acre walled garden that is the centrepiece of the garden.

I had not been aware of the garden opening during the summer before and it was a chance look at the Hopton Hall website that gave me the clue they were open this year (we missed the visit to see the snowdrops this year so presumably missed any publicity!) If only we had seen this some weeks ago when the roses were in full swing for a mid-August visit, whilst very impressive indeed, has missed them at their best. Speaking to one of the gardeners it appears that some years the gardens do not open during the summer, hence a regular check on the website will be necessary in future years.

The known history of the Hall goes back to the 1400s which was built as an Elizabethan manor house by Thomas Gell, his forebears having made their fortune in selling lead and stone from the mines and quarries nearby. The estate grew significantly and the house remodelled and extended over the centuries to become the Hall it is today. In 1978 much of the estate became part of Carsington Reservoir and in 1996 William and Eddy Brogden purchased the Hall and the remaining 30 acres. Parts of the Hall have been converted to holidays lets and the Estate Manager Spencer and gardener Steve have helped the Brogdens bring the gardens back to life over the last decade or so. The wonderful crinkle crankle wall built in the eighteenth century has been restored, the walled garden planted with thousands of roses and box plants, walks have been created round ornamental ponds, birch and hornbeam planted, further gardens developed and a laburnum tunnel created. It is quite clearly still under development and looks like this will continue for some time, but it is already a marvel - even in the winter when only snowdrops are poking through the snow.

Hopton Hall gallery