Saturday 7 February 2015

Thornes Park In February

We visited Thornes Park in Wakefield back in September. You can read about the visit in my Garden Visiting In September post. I was disappointed in my visit back then, being advertised on the internet as having a beautiful walled rose garden, conservatory and secret garden, it was a let down to find the walled garden in a state of disrepair, the conservatory closed due to the roof being unsafe and the secret garden also being closed. I visited today with low expectations but things are definitely looking up.

The first thing I saw as we entered the gates was the notice board containing this sign. There was no year to the date given, so I didn't know if the greenhouse roof had been repaired last October or if it was going to happen this year but I was hopeful that we may get to visit the exotic plants this time.


The area outside the walled garden was stunning when we last visited. The beds have now been cleared of the bedding plants and are waiting to be filled again.


As we entered the walled garden I could see that the beds were much tidier than they had been last September. The roses have now been pruned and most of the beds look well tended.



Some beds are still empty though and the sign asking for sponsors is still there.


The borders are well stocked but they will need a good tidy up in spring.


This plant which is growing against the wall looked stunning dripping with catkins.


There are a few colourful plants around the gardens even now, these hellebores for example.



The arbour is looking very bare. The plants climbing over it were covered in leaves in September but there were very few blooms, it would look so beautiful if it were covered in flowers.


We reached the conservatory and it was looking very hopeful. The roof does look to have been repaired and the barriers which were surrounding it last time for safety reasons have been removed but unfortunately, it was still closed.


I had a peek through the window, this part was filled with cactuses. It would have been lovely to be able to have a proper look around.


There has definitely been lots of work carried out since we last visited in September which is good news. It's sad to see places such as this fall in to a state of disrepair so I'm happy that funds have been found for repair work. I'm sure it will be a wonderful place to visit once all the renovations have been carried out and it's restored to its former glory.

26 comments:

  1. The answer to so many different projects for us all to enjoy is funds. I know there are many who volunteer their services for localised projects which is good.

    Progress here is slowly being made - and yes it will be wonderful to see it restored to its former glory.

    All the best Jan

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    1. That's true. There's so many projects vying for funding that it's hard to come by these days. It's good that they managed to secure some for the greenhouse repair, it will be wonderful to have it restored back to its former glory.

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  2. I had heard that a group were working on renovation, the catkin plant is a garrya

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    1. I'm so pleased that the group have managed to secure a grant to renovate the greenhouse. I've never heard of a garrya, thank you, I shall read up about it.

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  3. I agree its a shame when gardens go into disrepair. Your photos show some lovely perspectives. I think it would be worthwhile going back this summer to see how things have progressed.

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    1. It's only five months since I last visited and things have really moved on so I'm sure I will see more improvements if I visit again in summer.

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  4. Maybe it will be fully open in the Spring. It certainly looks as though they are preparing for the new season.

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    1. Possibly, I suppose we are out of season. There's definitely been improvements made since my last visit so it does look as though they mean business in restoring this lovely garden.

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  5. Oh it certainly looks as if things are on the up at Thornes Park Jo so it should be well worth another visit later this year.

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    1. I think it will definitely be worth another visit once all the work has been completed. I'm happy that funds have been secured to undertake the work.

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  6. Unfortunately, money is the key to most things! Just think of the cost involved in stocking all those beds with roses etc. Even at trade prices, it would be a lot!
    Do they charge for admission to the gardens?

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    1. Yes, money is at the centre of most things. There's no admission charge for the gardens, I doubt anyone would have paid to look around them as they were, but things are definitely on the up. It's good that a grant has been secured, it would be such a shame to let the conservatory fall in to further disrepair.

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  7. It's looking good for the time of year, and remembering your previous visit.
    I'm sure that you'll be visiting again in the spring and summer to enjoy lots of flowers. Flighty xx

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    1. Things are definitely looking up for Thornes Park. I'd like to visit again once all the work is complete, I'm sure it will be a wonderful place again.

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  8. It is good to see that much has been done and that work is obviously still ongoing isn't it. I hope the find the sponsors they need and that the beauty of the garden can continue to grow. xx

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    1. The difference since our last visit is very encouraging. It would be great if they could find more sponsors so that all the beds could be stocked, it would look wonderful.

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  9. The conservatory looks absolutely gorgeous. Hopefully next time you'll be able to go inside! The walls are beautiful aren't they, and I'm sure the arbour will be stunning in summer.

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    1. I'm really looking forward to the conservatory being opened up, it will be lovely to have a look around. It looks well stocked already. I love walled gardens, not sure what it is about them but I think the brickwork is just beautiful.

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  10. Good to hear the conservatory roof has been repaired, it does look promising from what you spotted inside.
    I hope they have lot's of sponsors, maybe by summer it will be a place of beauty!xxx

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    1. I'm looking forward to being able to go inside the conservatory and have a good look around. The photo shows just one side, there's lots more plants already in the other side of it too. I'm sure once the garden is fully restored it will be a beautiful place to visit.

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  11. It's a shame that so much money is needed to keep such beautiful places going. It looks like a lot of work has been done here, long may it continue. The plant with the catkins is beautiful :)

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    1. It is a shame. There's definitely improvements in the garden since we last visited so I'm sure it will look beautiful in summer. I thought the plant with the catkins was beautiful too.

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  12. That conservatory looks huge. Will you be going back in the summer? Sponsoring a rose bush or plant would be a lovely way to support them, maybe in the memory of someone, knowing it would be looked after and enjoyed by others.
    I love the arbour walkway, festooned in flowers I bet it looks amazing.
    Lisa x

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    1. It's quite a large conservatory, nowhere near as big as the one at Temple Newsam though. I would like to visit again once all the renovation work has been completed, I'm sure the garden will look fabulous with a little extra work. Sponsoring a rose bush in memory of someone is a great idea and a way of raising much needed funds. The arbour is a beautiful structure, not looking its best at the moment but as you say, it would look amazing covered in flowers.

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  13. My grandma is one of the Friends of Thornes Park! She lives nearly opposite the bandstand

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    1. What a wonderful project to be involved with. I only came across Thornes Park last year when I was looking for gardens to visit and I must say that I can see that so much work has been put in to the gardens between our visits. I'm sure it's going to be a wonderful garden again once it's been fully renovated. Well done to your grandma and all the other members of this group.

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