Felley Priory is situated in North Nottinghamshire, hidden just half a mile from the M1. This tranquil garden, where visitors will find many rare and unusual plants, is one of Nottinghamshire’s best kept secrets – the house, its 2.5 acre garden, and Farmhouse Tea Room are nestled in beautiful rolling countryside. The garden has been carefully planted so that there are plants of interest all year round.
The garden is comparatively new in relation to the house, which dates back to the 12th Century. An old photograph of the 1880s shows a sloping field and it was not until the 1890s that the ground was terraced. The present layout dates from 1976. The priory is 600ft above sea level and very exposed, so the first thing that Maria Chaworth-Musters, the creator of the garden, planted were the yew hedges as shelters for the herbaceous borders.
We're going from spring into summer at the moment and it's been a bit cold, but we're hoping to see the herbaceous borders as they are renowned for their truly spectacular display.
The walled rose garden is filled with old fashioned roses – Gallicias, Bourbons, Moss Roses, Damasks, Albas and Chinensis. Under the old Elizabethan wall are many agapanthus and some tender shrubs.The borders around the old walls have a mixture of trees and shrubs underplanted by geraniums, hostas, digitalis and meconopsis, amongst others.
In the centre of the garden, the pergolas are covered with roses, vines, clematis and lonicera, and are surrounded by yew topiary birds. This area was one of the first parts of the garden to be established and was designed to reflect the age and brickwork of the priory itself.
Newstead Abbey
Thro’ thy battlements, Newstead, the hollow winds whistle
Founded as a monastic house in the twelfth century, Newstead retains its medieval character. Dating from the late thirteenth century, marvel at the surviving church structure of the West Front. See the cloisters, Chapter House (now Chapel), stone carvings and manuscripts.
Inside the Abbey there is much to discover, including Lord Byron’s private apartments, the Victorian Kitchen and room displays, plus cloisters from the monastic period.
Surviving earthquakes and a civil war, the original façade of the old priory – the West Front – and the medieval cloisters still stand. The priory church’s West Front also contains a sculpture of the Virgin and Child.
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