Biddulph Grange
OS Grid ref:- SJ895591
The superb Victorian garden at Biddulph Grange, one of Britain's most exciting and unusual gardens, was created by the horticulturalist James Bateman (1811–1897), for his large collection of plants from around the world. Bateman was aided in the creation of the garden by his friend, the seascape artist Edward William Cooke.
The garden takes the visitor on a global journey from Italy to the pyramids of Egypt, from an Egyptian court, to elegant Italian terraces, unique oriental pagoda garden with its own Great Wall of China and a re-creation of a Himalayan glen. A cleverly planned frame work of hedges, rocks, banks and planting conceal these separate areas from each other, they accessed through tunnels, passageways and winding paths.
Biddulph Grange features collections of rhododendrons, summer bedding displays, a stunning dahlia walk in late summer and the oldest surviving golden larch in Britain, brought from China in the 1850s by the great plant hunter Robert Fortune.
In the Geological Gallery see how Bateman reconciled geology and theology. Travel through time as the gallery depicts the Creation story.
In 1861 Bateman gave up the house and gardens and the building became a hospital, the gardens sadly neglected. In 1988 the garden came into the ownership of and was restored by the National Trust.
Biddulph Grange Country Park, was originally part of the larger Biddulph Grange Estate, it comprises of 30 hectares (73 acres) of woodland with meadows, a large lake and ponds.