The Gardens

The Upper and Lower lakes are home to a National Collection of over 100 varieties of Hardy Water Lily (Nymphaea).

The Upper Lake, (the larger of the two) was created in 1904, with the Lower Lake being added in the 1920’s, and both were originally designed as fishing lakes for Major Stewart.

However, in 1935 he and his wife Katharine engaged Amos Perry, of Perry’s of Enfield, to plant 50 varieties of Hardy Water Lilies on the lakes, creating the beginnings of the National Collection of Nymphaea which is enjoyed today.

The Upper Lake was fully restored as part of our Golden Jubilee Restoration Project (2016 – 19).

This small but unique garden was designed by students from nearby Bishop Burton College and built by our own gardeners.

Hidden away in a wooded part of the Gardens it includes a water feature and is a lovely peaceful place to just sit and relax whilst enjoying the peace and quiet of this secluded little space which includes lovely roses which flower in the summer months.

The Aviary Garden is a lovely area which forms the centrepiece of our annual Tulip Festival in late April / May and is then planted up with annual bedding plants to provide a wide variety of colours during the summer months. The newly-restored  Edwardian potting shed is the home of our Aviary which contains cockatiels, budgerigars and zebra finches.

Originally an orchard and then a rose garden, the Victorian Garden was created around 2004 using several bequests and donations made to the Gardens.

Using the original walled garden as its backdrop, this garden is symmetrical in design and features a wooden gazebo at its centre. To the eastern side, a pergola is situated which is planted with lavender. In the summer months, sweet peas grow up the trellising on the pergola, providing a variety of noticeable colours.

The beds provide a wide variety of flowers throughout the spring and summer, and with its silver birches, it is a very popular place to sit quietly and admire the beautifully tended plants on display.

In the autumn of 2021, the Victorian Garden will be fully re-designed and re-created as a contemporary Walled Garden.

The Rock Garden at Burnby Hall was created around 1910 for Percy and Katharine Stewart by the Backhouse Nursery of York, renowned horticulturists of the period. The Backhouses were known for their elegant designs and had a portfolio comprising of a large number of wealthy families across the country.

Our Golden Jubilee Restoration Project (2016 – 19) allowed us to fully restore the Rock Garden and it now comprises a fantastic variety of plants and colour.

One of the most popular features here at Burnby Hall Gardens is the stumpery. It’s a relatively recent addition to the Gardens and was inspired by Prince Charles’ stumpery on his estate at Highgrove.

So, what exactly is a stumpery? Essentially, it is a garden feature that is constructed using mainly the upturned roots of large trees. The roots are arranged artistically to create a feature that is architecturally pleasing to the eye and, once the stumps are in place, plants are used to break up the strong lines and soften the angles.

It is very much an environmentally friendly location, with everything designed to attract birds and insects.

Stumperies were popular features during the 19th Century, but in more recent times their popularity has been attributed to the increased introduction of large numbers of species of ferns where a stumpery provides an ideal habitat for these types of plants.

Work on our stumpery began in the winter of 2011 and it has become one of the most popular of our themed Gardens. With the changing colours and the sound of birdsong in the trees, it is a lovely place to visit.

The Lakes at Burnby Hall were originally created by Major Stewart for fishing, and it was only in 1935 that the first waterlilies were planted in them.

Today, we have thousands of Carp, Roach and Rudd populating them, some of which are of enormous  size, and they love nothing more than to be hand fed by our visitors.

A great favourite with children and adults alike, if you’ve never fed the hungry fish, why not give it a go?

Our original Edwardian Summerhouse and adjoining Potting Shed were fully restored as part of our Golden Jubilee Restoration Project (2016 – 19).

The Potting Shed has been transformed into a multi-purpose space with the creation of a volunteer area for the Garden volunteers, along with a museum space where visitors can be transported back in time to the Edwardian era and can view vintage tools from the period. The interior of the Potting shed was completed thanks to generous donations from the local community.