One of Richmond’s hidden garden gems is opening to the public next month for an exclusive charity fundraiser.
The private garden of Linton House on Bargate is only three years old but has already achieved acclaim and was recently featured in national gardening magazine Gardens Illustrated.
As part of this summer’s National Garden Scheme, visitors are invited to view the garden at a special ‘canapés and fizz’ event held on Friday, July 8 from 6pm to 8pm.
There will also be an opportunity to meet RHS Chelsea Silver-Gilt winner Alistair Baldwin who designed and planted the garden in 2019.
Tickets costing £35 are limited to just 30 people and can be pre-booked in advance by visiting https://ngs.org.uk/yorkshire-special-garden-events/
This Richmond garden is on a former burgage plot behind a Grade II listed Georgian town house with a small romanticised industrial ruin and clear views of the 18th century folly Culloden Tower and the town’s landmark Castle.
Incorporating modern form and style, such as corten steel bridges and steps, to bring its industrial past to life, the garden is divided into three sections: the Idyll nearest the house where the ruin sits in a sea of stone chippings and the planting gives the sense of space being slowly colonised by plants; the Stage, a more formal area with a lawn and magnificent bay tree; and the Den, a secluded elevated section giving views back to the house.
“I wanted the design to reflect the history of the town,” said Alistair Baldwin whose Richmond-based landscape architecture consultancy firm has also designed gardens at Bowcliffe Hall, Wynard Hall, Grantley Hall and Kinross House in Scotland.
In Richmond, as in many other towns, burgage plots (long, narrow strips of land running at right angles to the main streets in medieval towns) were built around the castle and originally held buildings for craft and industry. “It was about working from home,” he remarked, drawing parallels with the new ways of working that are being adopted today.
“Cottage industry from home was small in scale but formed an important part of the economy. The ruined building within the garden is a charming reminder of this time and used to be a workshop, complete with the remnants of a fireplace.
“Several others ruins were knocked down by the previous owners but thankfully this one remains. The strong lines, minimalist shape and form of the new hard landscaping also represent elements of industry that would have existed on the plot,” he added.
All proceeds from the evening will go to The National Garden Scheme – a charity which, thanks to the generosity of garden owners, volunteers and visitors has donated over £63 million to nursing and health charities and made an annual donation of over £3 million in 2021.
Key beneficiaries include MacMillan Cancer Support, Marie Curie, Hospice UK, Carers Trust, The Queen’s Nursing Institute and Parkinson’s UK. It is also passionate about the physical and mental health benefits of gardens and supports charities doing work in gardens and health and awards bursaries to help community gardening projects, including Horatio’s Garden, Maggie’s and ABF The Soldier’s Charity.
