Helmsley Walled Garden: A Historic North Yorkshire Charity Garden Beneath the Castle
Set in the North York Moors National Park and tucked against the broken walls of Helmsley Castle, Helmsley Walled Garden is one of the most distinctive heritage attractions in North Yorkshire. Originally laid out in 1758 to supply fruit and vegetables to the Feversham family at Duncombe Park, the five-acre garden fell into dereliction in the twentieth century before being rescued in 1994 by a local practice nurse with a remarkable vision. Today it is an independent charity, kept alive by a small staff team and over 100 volunteers, and it sits on the site of one of the most unusual eighteenth-century walled gardens in England.
This is a horticultural and wellbeing destination rather than a vineyard or winery. There is no vineyard on site, no wine production and no cellar door. What the garden does have in abundance is history, therapeutic horticulture, an extraordinary collection of Yorkshire apples, a programme of workshops and exhibitions, and a Vine House Café that has been voted a Visit England Visitor Experience Award winner in Yorkshire in the food and drink category.
History: from kitchen garden to dereliction and back
There has been a walled garden on this site since 1758, built to feed the great house at Duncombe Park. As with so many British country estates, the garden's productive purpose faded after the First World War. The last leaseholder eventually left, the kitchen beds fell out of use and the walls slowly disappeared beneath bramble, nettle and self-sown trees.
What might have become another lost garden was saved by Alison Ticehurst, a Helmsley practice nurse who pushed open the gate in 1994 and saw what the site could become. Her vision was twofold: a beautiful garden that visitors could enjoy, and a restorative space in which people could benefit from therapeutic horticulture. Alison died before she could see her vision fully realised, but the garden continues to carry her work forward. The five acres of borders, orchards and glasshouses that visitors walk today were, in large part, revealed by her and the volunteers who joined her.
An 18th-century parallelogram with serpentine soul
One of the most unusual things about Helmsley Walled Garden is its plan. The outline is a parallelogram rather than a rectangle, an arrangement used to ensure the walls caught as much sun as possible and kept shadow to a minimum. Constant advances in horticulture throughout the 1700s meant that serpentine walls became fashionable in many estates, allowing space for newly fashionable exotic fruits such as pineapples. Helmsley's angled form was an alternative solution to the same northern-light problem.
The original paths, which curve through the garden in a way that feels surprising and gentle even today, are the one feature that has survived virtually unchanged since the eighteenth century. They were the first things Alison Ticehurst's team uncovered as they cleared decades of neglect, along with the central dipping pond whose fountain can still be heard from every corner of the garden.
The garden today is divided into a series of "rooms": the Clematis Garden, the White Garden, the Secret Garden, the Garden of Contemplation, the Physic Garden and the Kitchen Garden, with themed borders running along each of the three garden walls. The colourful Iris Border runs along the west-facing wall, the wildlife garden runs along the north-facing wall, and the long east-facing border is at its peak in spring with peonies and spring bulbs. The double herbaceous borders that run the length of the garden were used as a filming location for the 2018 version of The Secret Garden.
The people who run the garden
The garden is an independent charity, run by a board of volunteer trustees and managed by a small paid staff team, with the bulk of day-to-day work carried out by volunteers.
- June Tainsh, Executive Director, joined in 2018 from a background in Scottish garden design. She holds an MHort with the RHS and judges for Britain in Bloom.
- Chris Cooper, Garden Manager, took up the role in March 2025. A former Principal Bassoon of the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, he retrained in horticulture at Kingston Maurward College and previously led the garden team at National Trust Beningbrough Hall.
- Louise Harrison, Retail & Marketing Manager, joined in 2023 and brings retail, heritage-sector and freelance illustration experience.
- Robin Hancock, Heather Thomas and Deborah Lockett, Volunteer Coordinators, plan and supervise the work of the volunteers. Heather has been with the garden since 2009; Robin and Deborah came through the volunteer route before joining the staff team.
- Tony Craggs, Groundsman & Caretaker, has been associated with the garden for over fifteen years.
The Board of Trustees is chaired by Claire Lawton, a chartered accountant with forty years of experience and a long-standing love of gardens. Other trustees bring expertise from retail, the National Park, environmental consultancy, the Arts Council and volunteer coordination. Stephen Barstow, a volunteer-turned-trustee, has kept a weekly diary of the volunteers' work on Facebook since 2016, providing a remarkable record of the garden's evolution.
Therapeutic horticulture at the heart of everything
From its revival in 1994, the garden was conceived as a place where people could improve their mental and physical health through gardening. That ethos remains central to the organisation today.
The charity runs two specific programmes. Over the Garden Gate is the mentored volunteering scheme that pairs volunteers who may be experiencing reduced mobility, learning difficulties, chronic depression, anxiety or low confidence with a mentor who helps them get the most out of their involvement. Learning to Grow, funded by a £130,000 grant from the National Lottery Community Fund, is a three-year programme launched in early 2024 that develops plant propagation activities with volunteers and creates 12-month part-time traineeships aimed at helping volunteers transition into paid horticultural employment.
The garden's impact report for 2025 - 2026 records that over 26,000 visitors enjoyed the garden in 2025 and that the waiting list for volunteering has been significantly reduced through the introduction of new opportunities, additional mentors and new sessions. The team was awarded the King's Award for Volunteering in recognition of its work since the pandemic.
The orchard: over 100 Yorkshire apple varieties
Although there is no vineyard at Helmsley, the garden does have one of the most extensive apple collections in the north of England. More than 100 different apple trees grow within the walls, including many heritage Yorkshire varieties. The trees have been trained in a range of traditional forms: espalier, stepover, cordon and free-standing, providing a working reference library of pomology that visitors can wander among.
The orchard is celebrated every year at the Autumn Apple Weekend, which runs on Saturday 31 October and Sunday 1 November 2026. Local apple aficionado Finn Varney brings traditional hand-powered milling and pressing equipment, allowing visitors to taste single-variety juices from the heritage orchard and create their own blends. The 2026 weekend also features a complimentary apple-themed garden tour on the Saturday at 11.30am, a pumpkin trail for younger visitors and seasonal offers on plants.
The garden's apple juice is also served at events such as the Glorious Garden Picnic Evening, where visitors collect a complimentary glass from the Orchid House after their picnic.
The Vine House Café
The Vine House Café sits within the garden complex and is run by siblings Mollie and Sam Chapman. It has been voted a Visit England Visitor Experience Award winner in Yorkshire in the food and drink category and serves a small, regularly changing menu that draws on produce from the walled garden where possible.
Dishes typically include feta and green bean frittata, Yorkshire ham and mature cheddar melts with onion marmalade, and lamb rump on flatbread with salsa and mint raita, alongside homemade salads. In winter the menu moves towards hearty soup and pie. Freshly baked scones and a changing selection of homemade cakes and slices are available throughout the day, paired with speciality teas or freshly ground coffee. The café can cater for vegetarians and vegans, with nut-free dishes available; however the kitchen is not entirely nut-free.
Access to the café, the garden shop and the plant centre is flat, level and entirely free of steps, and all three can be visited without paying garden entry.
The garden shop and plant centre
The Garden Shop stocks a curated range of artisanal crafts, local chutneys and preserves, books, cards, art supplies and stationery, alongside garden gifts and lifestyle accessories. The adjoining Plant Centre grows a range of the garden's own plants for sale, supplemented by seasonal and often unusual plants from other local nurseries.
Gift vouchers are available, redeemable against annual membership and day entry, the Garden Shop (including plants) and the Vine House Café. A 48-page full-colour Souvenir Guidebook setting out the garden's history and ongoing restoration work is available to purchase at £5.00 (including postage and packing).
Well-behaved dogs on leads are welcome in the shop and plant centre.
Membership, tickets and entry
The garden operates a seasonal opening pattern:
- April to October: Wednesday to Sunday, 10am until 5pm (last entry 4pm).
- November to December: Wednesday to Sunday, 10am until 4pm (last entry 3pm).
- March: Wednesday to Sunday, 10am until 4pm (last entry 3pm).
The garden will close for winter on Sunday 20 December 2026.
Standard day tickets are £15.50. During July and August 2026, the garden is participating in the UK Government's temporary VAT reduction on family days out, with a reduced day ticket at £12.50 or a gift-aided ticket at £14.00 (inclusive of a voluntary £1.50 gift aid donation which can be opted out of at purchase). Carers accompanying a disabled person do not need to purchase a ticket. RHS members visiting on a Wednesday receive free entry for the individual member; joint memberships allow free entry for one member. Gardeners' World 2-for-1 is valid every Friday, CPRE 2-for-1 is valid every day, and 2-for-1 offers are not valid on event days.
Annual membership is £16 per person and includes unlimited garden entry during opening hours, a complimentary guidebook on joining, a 10% reduction on all plant sales, email updates on upcoming events and a quarterly e-newsletter. A Residents Pass is available for £10 to anyone living within a six-mile radius of Helmsley, giving unlimited access for twelve months.
The garden does not have any on-site public parking. The closest car park is the Cleveland Way long-stay car park, which has two blue badge spaces and free coach parking. From there it is a short signed walk through the overflow car park to the garden entrance.
Group visits
Groups of fifteen or more and coach parties are warmly welcomed. The current rates are £10.00 per person for entry only, with an additional £60 suggested donation for a guided tour (tours last approximately one hour). Group organisers, tour managers and blue badge guides enter free. There is a downloadable group bookings form, and the garden is fully accessible with a small number of manual wheelchairs available to loan free of charge.
Workshops and courses
The garden runs an annual programme of workshops led by experts in their field. For the 2026 season these include:
- Apple Tree Pruning with Chris Cooper - two dates: Tuesday 8 September and Saturday 19 September, 9.30am to 12.30pm. £50 per person, limited to 8 places. Includes tea, coffee and cake.
- Drawing from Nature with Clare Belbin - a two-day course on Saturday 26 and Sunday 27 September, 10am to 4pm. £165 per person. Suitable for beginners and those returning to drawing; using graphite, charcoal and conte.
- Working With Colour I - a two-day painting and mixed-media course on Saturday 10 and Sunday 11 October. £165 per person.
- Working With Colour II - a more advanced two-day course on Saturday 17 and Sunday 18 October. £165 per person.
- Willow Weaving Workshop - Basket - Saturday 3 October, 10.30am to 4.30pm. £95 per person, fully booked at time of publication.
- Willow Weaving Workshop - Sustainable Festive Wreath (Friday) - Friday 20 November, 10.30am to 1pm. £50 per person, fully booked.
- Willow Weaving Workshop - Sustainable Wreath (Saturday) - Saturday 21 November, 10.30am to 1pm. £50 per person, with one space remaining at time of publication.
Willow weaving workshops are led by Janice Burley of Down 2 Earth; the painting and drawing courses are led by Clare Belbin Carlile, the garden's resident artist. All materials are provided and bookings are made through the garden's online ticketing system.
Exhibitions and seasonal events
The Orchid House at the heart of the garden hosts a changing programme of exhibitions each year. The 2026 season includes:
- Sculpture in the Garden - An exhibition by the Yorkshire Sculptors Group, Saturday 20 June to Saturday 5 September 2026, included with paid garden entry. The Yorkshire Sculptors Group was established in 1985 and has 23 elected members working in a wide variety of subjects, materials and methods.
- Within the Garden Walls - An Exhibition of Work by Clare Belbin, Saturday 22 to Sunday 30 August 2026, included with paid garden entry or membership.
Two signature fundraisers anchor the calendar. A Glorious Garden Picnic Evening on Friday 14 August 2026 (5.30pm to 8.30pm) features the Yorkshire Voices Choir performing on the event lawn against the backdrop of Helmsley Castle, with picnic blankets and a complimentary apple juice from the Orchid House. Tickets are £20 per person, under 16s free with a paying adult, and the evening raises money for the Growing a Bright Future Appeal.
The Family Funday in the Garden on Monday 31 August 2026 is a Bank Holiday community day with bouncy castles, local stalls, a dinosaur and fairy trail, a hotdog stand, face-painting, games and a visit from the RSPB North Yorkshire branch. Day admission is reduced to £8 per adult.
Accessibility
Accessibility is taken seriously across the site. The garden is largely on one level and almost entirely step-free; the Orchid House has step access but also ramp access with a handrail. Main paths are 1.9 metres wide and surfaced with tamped-down fine gravel and sand, with wood chip in the Kitchen Garden. A small number of wheelchairs are available to loan free of charge.
The accessible unisex toilet by the Salad House has vertical and horizontal rails, lever taps, emergency pull cord and colour contrast between tiles and fixtures. The Vine House Café accommodates wheelchair users at wider tables, with a ramp between the two internal levels. Carers do not need to purchase a ticket.
Volunteering and the community
Volunteers remain at the heart of everything. Around 100 people give their time regularly, with further opportunities opening up through Learning to Grow and Over the Garden Gate. There are four main volunteering routes: kiosk and shop (flexible morning and afternoon sessions), garden volunteers (who typically commit to a specific day each week), garden mentors (who support other volunteers) and maintenance volunteers (who tackle heavier tasks such as the current cold-frame restoration project).
Long-standing community links include Wellburn School, who volunteer regularly, and the North York Moors Explorers Club, who visit every summer for a family day of harvesting or bulb planting. The garden has also hosted visits from other local charities, free of charge.
Appeals and fundraising
The current fundraising campaign is Growing a Bright Future: Creating Space to Thrive and Inspire, an appeal to replace the outdated staff and volunteer glasshouse with a modern, multipurpose glasshouse. The current facility, which houses the staff kitchen, toilets, volunteer lockers and seating, leaks badly in poor weather and is beyond economical repair. The new building would provide a communal space, a propagation area and a flexible meeting room for community groups, workshops and educational sessions.
Earlier appeals have funded the restoration of the Orchid House (originally restored in 2003 and refurbished again after a 2021 appeal raised £25,000), the Our Secret Garden "Adopt a Square Metre" campaign of 2020 - 21 (which raised £50,725 and helped the garden reopen after the pandemic) and the 2025 Up the Garden Path appeal to restore the 150-metre central path running alongside the Hot Border, which aimed to raise £30,000.
Other ways to support the charity include memorial leaves (solid brass, engraved and fixed to the Orchid House wall for a single donation of £300, with a minimum fifteen-year display period) and gifts in wills.
Where to find Helmsley Walled Garden
The garden is at Cleveland Way, Helmsley, North Yorkshire, YO62 5AH, on the edge of the North York Moors National Park and within walking distance of the Cleveland Way, Helmsley Castle, Rievaulx Abbey, the National Bird of Prey Centre and Duncombe Park. It is on the A170, 25 miles from York, 14 miles from Thirsk and 16 miles from Malton, and is served by East Yorkshire Motor Services route 128 from Scarborough and Pickering and Reliance 31X from York via Kirkbymoorside.
For visitors arriving by car, postcode navigation should be used with caution: the garden's postcode will direct you up to Duncombe Park rather than to the Cleveland Way car park. The nearest railway station is York (25 miles), with Malton 17 miles away. The market town of Helmsley offers additional parking, accommodation and a wide range of independent shops, cafés and pubs.
Contact details
Helmsley Walled Garden is run from Cleveland Way, Helmsley, North Yorkshire, YO62 5AH. Telephone 01439 772314 (international +44 1439 772314). Email [email protected]. Retail and drop-off enquiries can be directed to Louise Harrison at [email protected], and the Vine House Café team can be reached on 01439 771194 or by email at [email protected].