Peover Hall National Garden Scheme
Peover Hall first opened its gardens for the National Garden Scheme in 1927 and will do so again this year Sat 5th June and Sun 6th June 14:00 to 17:00 – this year it will be particularly poignant.
The Hall was the family home of Randle and Juliet Brooks. Mr Brooks died unexpectedly in November 2020 and Mrs Brooks died of cancer in March 2021. The Brooks family are keen to celebrate the memories of Randle and Juliet at this year’s National Garden Scheme open weekend.
Across the country the garden openings raise funds for Macmillan Cancer Support, Marie Curie Hospice UK and the Queen’s Nursing Institute. Over the years £60 million has been donated – in 2020 £2.8 million.
The family were very grateful for all the help they received to support Mrs Brooks to make it possible to stay at her beloved Peover Hall and enjoy its gardens. Everyone (together with the Christie and East Cheshire Hospice at Home) was incredibly caring and sensitive through what was a rather heart-breaking period.
As in previous years there will be a plant stall (many of the plants grown in the gardens), due to the nature of 4G and lack of broadband please bring cash to purchase.
As the Hall was closed to visitors throughout 2020 the family are opening the Hall on the NGS weekend so this year it will be possible to add a visit inside the Hall, a Grade 2* listed Elizabethan family house dating from 1585 – there will be three tours starting at 14:00, 15:00 and 16:00. Numbers will be restricted, and bookings will need to be made separately on www.PeoverHall.com.
The formal gardens were designed between 1890-1900 and feature a series of ‘garden rooms’ filled with clipped box, water garden, Romanesque loggia, warm brick walls, unusual doors, secret passageways, beautiful topiary work and walled gardens, C19 dell and rockery, rhododendrons and pleached limes. The grounds of the Hall also house working stables, estate cottages and the parish church of St Lawrence which contains two Mainwaring Chapels with beautiful effigies.
The architectural jewel is the Grade I listed Carolean stables built in 1654; their interior stalls are richly carved and include original Tuscan columns and strap work.
Immediately adjacent to the stables is the attractive Coach House topped with a working bell tower added by Sir Henry Mainwaring in 1764. During World War II the house was requisitioned for the use of General George Patton of the United States 3rd Army when it was damaged by a fire started by a soldier in 1944. Later the house was derelict and has been extensively renovated since the 1960’s by the Brooks family.
Due to the changes in the family and Covid restrictions the website PeoverHall.com is currently being updated and will be ready soon to enable bookings. In the meantime, you can book tickets via https://ngs.org.uk/view-garden/8712. Online bookings are recommended but please bring cash if you wish to pay at the gate or purchase plants etc, as card payments unfortunately will not be accepted.
We look forward to seeing you this weekend.