Crook Hall and Gardens: the National Trust's newest garden

Crook Hall Gardens - National Trust — © National Trust/ Colin Davison

The National Trust have opened their 221st garden on the 13th July 2022 after acquiring Grade I-listed Crook Hall and Gardens in Durham in March. The previous owners were forced to close due to the pandemic in July 2020, and this is the first time the site will be reopening its gates since then.

The garden will be the gateway to County Durham's green corridor which will link central Durham with the countryside on its fringes. The National Trust is intending to create twenty green corridors in England, Wales and Northern Ireland by 2030 to help bring the benefits of the outdoors to more people.

The gardens at Crook Hall

Crook Hall is a Medieval manor house thought to have been built around the year 1217. The grounds of the hall feature ten acres of gardens in an interlinked series, each with a differing character. These include impressive borders, a secluded walled garden, an orchard and a moat pool and maze. The gardens complement each other well, although differing in age and personality. Formal areas with topiary hedges and straight lines are bordering traditional English cottage gardens.

The gardens are largely laid out in a 20th century manner, created after 1928 when John and Muriel Cassels moved into Crook Hall. John was the principle of Houghall Agricultural College but it was Muriel who most likely developed the garden, both to respect the earlier walled kitchen garden and to open up views to the cathedral and castle.