Latest news with #HolkhamHall
BBC News
08-08-2025
- Health
- BBC News
Holkham Estate cancels water activities after algae found in lake
An estate has cancelled its water events due to high readings of blue-green algae in its lake. Holkham Hall and Estate in Norfolk said it had to suspend some activities that were part of the Gone Wild Festival with Bear Grylls, which is taking place at the site on Saturday and Sunday. Blue-green algae, technically known as cyanobacteria, is a collection of microscopic organisms that are naturally present in lakes and streams."Our own lake-based activities at Holkham - boat hire and pond dipping - are suspended until further notice," said a spokesperson for the estate. Exposure to high levels of any blue-green algae blooms - whether by contact with water blooms, swallowing that water or inhaling airborne droplets - can cause health effects in can include diarrhoea, nausea or vomiting, skin, eye or throat irritation; and allergic reactions or breathing difficulties. The festival said its swimming, stand-up paddleboarding, kayaking and raft building had been cancelled after water attending who had pre-booked a water-based activity were expected to be refunded in full, the festival added. Gone Wild Festival is due to take place from 7 and 10 August and will include performances from artists such as Clean Bandit and Blue. Holkham Estate said: "Gone Wild has cancelled all lake activities to prioritise the health and safety of all their attendees."An assault course was still set to take place but obstacles where people would enter the water were removed. Holkham Estate said it usually runs lake-based activities during the six-week summer added: "Apart from organised activities, access to the lake is not permitted."This does not impact general visitor access to Holkham or any of its other attractions, all of which remain open as usual." Follow Norfolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
Telegraph
15-06-2025
- General
- Telegraph
The allure of the walled garden, and 10 of the best to visit
The productive walled garden was a quintessential part of every large house, estate and mansion in the 18th and 19th centuries, and the richer you were, the more elaborate the glasshouses, pineapple pits and stove houses became. A homegrown pineapple or an exotic orchid gave you all-important kudos, and the more common or garden produce supplied the whole household with a varied supply of fruit, cut flowers, potted plants and vegetables. And then the First World War intervened and, devoid of care, they became sad relics of a bygone age. Thankfully, that's all changing. Many of our walled gardens are being revived, often at great expense, and offer lovely places to visit on a summer's day. Here are 10 to add to your list. Holkham Hall, Norfolk Holkham's six-acre walled garden, laid out by Samuel Wyatt in 1782, has just become an RHS partner garden. It's two thirds of a mile away from the main house, because gardeners and the smell of horse manure were kept well away from house guests. Wyatt's neoclassical vinery houses citrus plants, some direct descendants from the original orangery. You will find 16 different types of oranges and lemons, including the rarely seen Buddha's hand from Japan. The original swarthy-skinned citron lemon, described by head gardener Mark Morrell as 'the size of half a rugby ball', is equally fascinating. Kirsty Gwilliam, the vegetable gardener, grows two cool-tolerant Russian tomatoes outdoors – 'Skykomish' and 'Moskvich'. Kirsty is also growing two South African cucurbits, a squash named 'Rolet' and a white pumpkin named 'Van Niekerk', because the 7th Earl of Leicester, who died in 2015, was born in Rhodesia. The vegetables supply the household and Holkham's Victoria Hotel. Blenheim Palace, Oxfordshire Andy Mills is the head gardener in charge of this massive 10-acre walled garden, one of the largest in the country, if not the largest. Construction began in 1704, before the palace was built, in order to feed the workforce. These days, the enormously high brick walls, up to 16ft in height, provide the perfect microclimate for vegetables and fruit. There's a one-acre no-dig garden producing salad crops, beetroots, carrots and brassicas, and they're interspersed with plenty of flowers to draw in the pollinators and beneficial insects. Dahlias, cut for the house, feature heavily in the potager area. A biomass boiler, using woodchip from the estate, keeps the melon house, lean-to glasshouse, vinery and peach house snug in winter. There's a butterfly house to visit, and a maze to explore, and new developments include a central pond to capture rainfall, and a small vineyard. Cambo, Fife Cambo's 19th-century organically run walled garden is more than two acres in size, and concentrates on flowers and fruit. The softly hued late-season displays, in the Piet Oudolf style, are a Cambo trademark. The sandy paths are home to at least 12 species of ground-nesting bee, and insect life abounds, from butterfly to dragonfly. The head gardener, Callum Halstead, is proud of the wildflower meadows on either side of the burn, and a recent botanical count recorded 50 wildflower species, including three species of wild orchid, which, he says, have all returned of their own accord. The oldest plants are the apples and pears, and there are 70 varieties here. The soil is in excellent condition and Cambo is running Composted – a Festival of Biodegradable Ideas until July 27. Llanerchaeron, Ceredigion Patrick Swan, Llanerchaeron's adviser, calls John Nash's Georgian two-acre creation from 1795 'a garden with its muddy boots on', because growing fruit, vegetables and flowers has been going on here for more than 200 years. The head gardener, Alex Summers, deliberately preserves 'the patina of age', because this secret garden is a nostalgic throwback to a simpler time. You're in the thick of it as soon as you go through the anonymous door. The heritage orchard contains a registered collection of Welsh apples, including 'Croen Mochyn', a russet with a name that translates as 'pig skin'. It's one of 53 varieties. Some were planted in the 1850s, and in those days there were only three walls. The gap allowed spring frosts to drift away from the blossom. There's a no-dig system for vegetables in this organically run garden, and there are plenty of colourful cut flowers tended by the gardeners and 10 willing volunteers. There are plenty of buyers among the visitors. Chartwell, Kent There aren't many walled gardens that have bricks laid by their owners, but Winston Churchill began working on Chartwell's walls between 1925 and 1932 as a form of relaxation. During his second term as prime minister, between 1951 and 1955, fresh fruit, flowers and vegetables were transported up to 10 Downing Street every week, a common occurrence for many London-based landowners. Christopher Lane, Chartwell's garden and outdoors manager, says that the one-acre vegetable garden contains traditional crops 'that could feed a British army'. Potatoes, carrots, parsnips and cabbages mingle with soft fruit and flowers, and any excess is donated to a local food bank. Part of Chartwell's charm is the contrast between the simple wildflowers in the orchard and the hectic mix of colourful flowers, fruit and vegetables within. Felbrigg Hall, Norfolk Tina Hammond Liew-Bedford, who has been the head gardener here for 26 years, was influenced by the King's organically run walled garden at Highgrove in the early 1990s. The protective high walls in Felbrigg's four-acre garden encourage pomegranates to flower and fruit on the south-facing wall. There's a rarely-seen tender California bay, also known as the headache tree or Umbellularia californica. The garden is sectioned by high inner walls, so the garden unfolds, rather like a Russian doll, adding 'mystery and suspense at every turn', according to Hammond Liew-Bedford. It's all about theatre and drama here, with handsome foliage, three-dimensional pyramidal apple trees and a walk-through pumpkin arch. Several bantam hens eat pests, including lily beetles, snails and box caterpillars, and there's always a buzz of life above the flowers. Nasturtium foliage gets devoured by cabbage white butterflies and pot marigolds are used as companion plants to deter soil-based pests. Buscot Park, Oxfordshire There's a sense of fun in this two-acre walled garden because the old-fashioned roses are planted with quirky climbing vegetables that scale the walls from late summer onwards. The green and yellow, almost reptilian 'Speckled Swan' gourds can reach a foot in length. 'It sometimes works and sometimes fails,' Lord Faringdon told me. The collection of old-fashioned roses was chosen with the expert help of the late rosarian Graham Thomas (1909-2003). The rose collection thrives on being pruned hard every year and the Portland rose Rosa 'de Rescht' is Lady Faringdon's favourite. Three more walled gardens to see Packwood House, Warwickshire One for family fun – alongside the restored kitchen garden, there's a yew garden that's perfect for games of hide-and-seek. Berrington Hall, Herefordshire The curved wall in this Capability Brown garden of 1783 has survived for centuries, almost entirely intact, and it's a unique example. Hughenden Manor, Buckinghamshire The south-facing wall of this sloping garden houses a collection of Victorian fruit, and the frost gate at the lower end helps the cold air to escape downhill.
