Tucked away off Marsland Road in Sale is one of Greater Manchester’s horticultural hidden gems. Walkden Gardens occupies a small patch of land, yet it manages to pack a lot in with several ‘rooms’ waiting to be explored.
Visitors can take a stroll through the magnificent wisteria arch, which is over 70ft long, and drowns out any traffic noise from the surrounding area. A wander around reveals a fuchsia garden, a mini-arboretum and a conifer garden, all containing different plants and creating the feeling of being in a much larger space.
Owned by Trafford Council, who maintain the park alongside the Friends Group, made up of volunteers, Walkden Gardens is named after Harry Walkden, who owned a plant nursery at the current site. The gardens themselves were inspired by the well-known 20th century garden at Hidcote Manor in Gloucester.
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A unique feature is the theatre lawn, a large grassed area surrounded by tall beech hedges which can seat up to 500 people. This space plays a role in the local community with various productions being held there, including Macbeth and Alice in Wonderland.
In the past it has hosted pop-up cinema events, while yoga sessions are held throughout the summer months. The theatre lawn is a place for people to come together and enjoy activities in a rather unusual environment.
Another intriguing aspect of Walkden Gardens in the Dovecote, a small round tower which you can’t miss if you visit the gardens. It’s currently being repaired but it originally stood in the grounds of Sale Old Hall, which was demolished in the 1920s.
When the M60 was widened the Dovecote was taken apart brick by brick and stored in a builders’ yard in Rochdale, before eventually being rebuilt at the gardens. Today it’s used for arts workshops, an exhibition space and serving refreshments.
One of the most striking features is the Japanese Garden, the maintenance of which is helped by the Japanese Garden Society. At Walkden Gardens it’s divided into three areas, creating a sense of escapism and capturing visitor’s imagination.
The first section contains a rock display representing the Buddhist deities, while trees play the main role in the second area, which is inspired by a traditional tea garden. The third part is a dry landscape garden created using gravel. The garden is designed with a winding path so the scene in front of you is constantly changing.
In the summer the gardens are open from 9am until 7.30pm (they are locked at night so make sure you double check the opening times before you enter). The entrance to the free car park is on Derbyshire Road, there are also bus stops on Marsland Road. The gardens are 15 minutes’ walk from Brooklands Metrolink station. For more information click here.
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