Poulton Hall

Fairy tales are not a thing of the past. Disney’s Sword in the stone, Robin hood and of Alice in Wonderland are fantastic stories that resonate with me to this day. It’s not that I don’t conform to the marvel of our modern technology fueled metropolis. I just like to escape once in a while back in time on my hindsight high horse.
The Gardens at Poulton Hall have the potential superficially to take one on such a journey. A journey about which I shall reveal little as not to spoil the twists and turns that await you on your visit. What I will tell you is that you will be gorging on a slice of history that began with Scirard de Launcelyn in 1093 who had a castle here. The castle is long gone unsurprisingly but the house built in the seventeenth century remains.
Now I had no idea how lucky I was when on a lazy sunday afternoon in Mid April I strolled into the gardens. After paying my £4 entrance fee, I very much enjoyed my very English afternoon with a cream tea in the lawn. The garden is actually open only twice, yes TWICE a year under the national garden scheme in mid April. That’s it! A very short window I know, but a visit can be arranged by appointment, which is well worth it.
Why? The gardens here are very unique to say the least, and there are plenty of them as well, to suit all your varying sensibilities. As you enter the gardens from the west side for example, walking along the Alice in Wonderland walk you can take a right into the Knot garden with its shrub border. Further along there is the fountain garden, natural sculpture garden, the golden garden, a herb garden and a water garden. Other wonderfully peculiar features of the gardens include a Mozaic floor leading to a gazebo, A sword in a stone (excalibur) a fighting greek and trojan, a jabberwocky, Robin Hood, Story teller’s chair, «yo ho ho Pirate’s den», Zone for teas, Urn fountain, Land of the lord high tiger, Golden apples of the hesperides, Wardrobe, Tapestries, a gothic gate and many more.
This is an extremely unique place to visit and one which you definitely won’t regret.