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Garden Name: Ripley Castle
Last Modified: 19/01/2010
Garden ID: 0441

pic: 0441_RipleyCastle.jpg

Owner: Sir Thomas Ingilby Bt.
Address:
Harrogate


Postcode: HG3 3AY
County: Yorkshire

tel: 01423 770152
fax: 01423 771745
website: www.ripleycastle.co.uk
email: enquiries {at} ripleycastle.co.uk

Features: 
Winner of the "Pro Yorkshire Award for Tourism 2005"
Winner of Best Small Visitor Attraction of the Year - Welcome to Yorkshire White Rose Awards

English Heritage Grade:
I

Opening Times:
Every day (except Christmas Day and Boxing Day); 9am - 5pm. 4.30pm in winter months

Best Times of Year to Visit: 
All year

To see: 
Spring Flowers, Hyacinths, herbaceous borders.

National Collection: 
Hyacinths

National Garden Scheme days: No
Comments: 

Parties / Coaches: Yes 
Comments: Welcomed.

Viewing by Appointment: Yes
Comments: contact Group Tour co-ordinator, Lesley Senior 

House Open for Viewing: 
Comments: All year. Guided Tours (75mins) only first 11am - last 3pm. Open Easter - end Sept daily. Mar, Apr (beginning of) Oct, Nov, - Tues, Thurs, Sat & Sun. Dec - Feb Weekends only. + Good Fri, Easter and May Bank Hols.

Admission Prices:
Castle & Gardens, Adult £8; Child (5-16) £5; Over 60s £7.50. Children in groups £4.50. Children under 5 free.
Gardens only, Adult £5.50; Child £3.50; Over 60s £5. Children in groups £3. Children under 5 free.

Parking: Yes
Lavatories: Yes
Disabled Access: Yes
Shop: Yes
Plants for Sale: Yes
Lunches: Yes
Teas: Yes
Refreshments: Yes
Picnics: No
Dogs allowed: No
Only on Lead: No
Events: Yes

Other Facilities:
Guide dogs are permitted


Designer: 
Description of Garden:
Ripley Castle gardens are intended to be a delight at any time of the year, but are particularly impressive in the Spring when the wonderful collection of Hyacinths is in bloom in the Walled Garden. There are some 60 varieties of Hyacinth grown here, some traditional, some modern. The remainder of the Walled Garden is filled with lawns, beds and borders and some rare fruit trees. Vegetables, herbs and spices are grown here for the Castle's table. The herbaceous borders are some of the longest in Britain.

The extraordinary range of hot houses, renovated in 1991, are some 60 yards long, and contain a huge variety of cacti, ferns and tropical plants including citrus, begonias and bananas. In the centre of the hot houses is the Orangery-cum-Palm House crowned over its whole area by a roof of curved glass, like that of a Dutch barn. 

In the Pleasure Grounds, a walk around the lake allows glimpses of the herds of Fallow and Red deer which graze under the ancient oak trees.


History: 
The gardens at Ripley were originally intended purely to supply the Castle with fruit and vegetables to complement the home farm's supply of meat and dairy produce. When Sir John Ingilby's over-ambitious plans for rebuilding the castle forced him and his wife into exile in the 1780s, gardening remained one of his consolations and he even requested his agent to bring him over a variety of seeds from Ripley, as they were much better than the ones he could obtain in France.

His son, Sir William, started on a massive scheme to improve the estate, and especially the gardens, in the 1820s, with a Walled Garden of 4 acres separated into formal, flower and vegetable gardens by brick and stone walls. He also laid out the Pleasure Grounds of eight acres and the extraordinary set of hot houses on the other side of the wall of the formal garden.

Local Inns: 
The Boar's Head, Ripley
Malt Shovel, Brearton

Accomodation: 
The Boar's Head Hotel, Ripley
Hob Green, Ripon

Restaurants: 
The Boar's Head Hotel, Ripley

Village/Town/Sightseeing: 
Harrogate
RHS Harlow Carr Gardens
Fountains Abbey
Yorkshire Dales
Newby Hall
Castle Howard
Harewood House