The Walled Garden

25/08/2026

Chapter 7 of our 250 years series... The Great Vine of Worden 🍇

🌿250 Years of Worden Walled Garden

Chapter 7, The Great Vine of Worden 🍇

This is one of the Walled Garden’s most remarkable living links with its past.

The old, gnarled wood above these grapes belongs to a Black Hamburg vine whose story has become almost as intriguing as the garden itself.

Grapes have been grown at Worden for generations.

We know they were important here during the Farington era, and by the nineteenth century the garden had its own vine house. Later records describe several Black Hamburg vines growing here, capable of producing an astonishing 120–140lb of grapes in a good year.

But the grapes weren’t always simply harvested for the garden.

By the 1950s, a lovely tradition had developed. Worden’s annual grape harvest was distributed to retirement homes across South Ribble, with the Mayor taking the grapes out into the community.

We know the Faringtons had been growing grapes here for generations before that, but we’re still trying to discover exactly when the tradition of sharing Worden’s harvest began.

There’s something rather lovely about it.

Something grown within these walls being used to connect with people beyond them. 💚

But the vine has another story attached to it…

For many years, people have said that Worden’s vine has a connection to the famous Great Vine at Hampton Court Palace — supposedly grown from a cutting taken from it.

It’s a wonderful story.

But is it true?

That’s something we’ve been trying to uncover.

And, as is often the case with history, the answer isn’t quite as straightforward as we’d hoped…

📖 From the archives: Records from the early 1990s describe Black Hamburg vines at Worden producing up to 140lb of grapes annually, alongside the long-running tradition of sharing the harvest with local retirement homes.

💚 Writing the next chapter by uncovering the last 250 years.

Next week: The Hampton Court Mystery — Is Worden’s Vine Really a Cutting from the Great Vine? 🍇

16/08/2026

🌼 A little bit of folklore has appeared in the Walled Garden…

This beautiful mullein (Verbascum) has somehow found enough soil to grow from the tiniest gap beside one of our old doorways – so we’re leaving it exactly where it chose to be.

Mullein has a fascinating history. For centuries it appeared in traditional herbal medicine, particularly in preparations for coughs, sore throats and respiratory complaints.

It has folklore too. Mullein was associated with protection and warding off evil, while its tall dried flower stems were once dipped in fat or wax and used as torches – giving rise to old names including “hag’s taper.”

And its usefulness hasn’t ended. Its yellow flowers provide food for pollinators, while Verbascum is also the food plant of the brilliantly named mullein moth caterpillar. 🐛🐝

All of that history and wildlife value from a plant that simply decided to grow in a crack beside a 250-year-old garden wall. 💚

Sometimes nature really does choose the perfect spot. 🌱

*Traditional uses mentioned for historical interest only.

15/08/2026

Some more history 😁

🌿 250 Years of Worden Walled Garden

Chapter 5 – The Gardeners Who Brought It to Life

A garden isn't remembered because someone built it.

It's remembered because someone cared for it.

Day after day. Year after year. Generation after generation.

Once the walls of the Walled Garden were complete, the real work had only just begun.

Seeds had to be sown.

Fruit trees carefully trained.

Glasshouses managed.

Vegetables harvested.

Walls maintained.

Every season brought new challenges, and every season depended on the skill, knowledge and dedication of the gardeners who worked here.

Thanks to memories recorded from former gardeners and estate workers, we know the Walled Garden was cared for by a Head Gardener and a team of three or four gardeners. Together they supplied Worden Hall with an extraordinary variety of produce, including salads, tomatoes, asparagus, potatoes, pears, apples and grapes.

One particularly special memory came from Mrs Crook, whose father began working at Worden as a gardener in **1896**, later becoming Head Gardener.

She remembered Sir William ffarington walking through the Walled Garden every morning with his dog, inspecting the crops, chatting with the gardeners and recording the day's weather before continuing his walk around the estate.

It's a wonderful glimpse into a garden at the height of its working life.

For nearly two centuries, this wasn't simply a beautiful place.

It was a place of purpose.

A place of knowledge.

A place of craftsmanship.

Today, that work looks different.

We're no longer growing food for a country house.

Instead, volunteers are helping restore the garden for the whole community.

Different people.

Different purpose.

The same spirit of care.

Perhaps that's what has kept this place alive for almost 250 years.

Not just the bricks.

Not the buildings.

But the people willing to give their time, their knowledge and a little bit of themselves.

Every generation has had its gardeners.

Today, they're our volunteers.💚

📷 **About this photograph:** The image accompanying this post shows Victorian kitchen gardeners from the period (from 'The Victorian Kitchen Garden' by Jennifer Davies). Although they didn't work at Worden, they offer a glimpse into the lives of the skilled men and women whose working day would have been very similar to those who cared for the Walled Garden here in Leyland.

🌿 Writing the next chapter by uncovering the last 250 years.

💚 Next week: Growing the Extraordinary – How Worden Grew Peaches and Nectarines in Lancashire.**

13/08/2026

Who's enjoying the history? 😁

🌿 250 Years of Worden Walled Garden

Chapter 4 – Who Built the Walled Garden?

If I asked you who built the Walled Garden...

Most people would probably answer:

"The Faringtons."

And, in many ways, they'd be right.

But history isn't built by one person.

It's built by many.

While researching the garden, we came across this remarkable page from **Sir William ffarington's cash book.

At first glance, it's just a list of payments.

Look a little closer...
..and the people behind the garden begin to appear.

🧱 Addison – supplied 58,000 bricks.

📏 Matthew Clitherow – worked on the garden walls before later measuring them.

🪨 Robert Gudgeon – supplied the coping stones that have protected the walls for nearly 250 years.

🔨 John Sumner – crafted the ironwork for the heated flue doors.

🌳 And perhaps our favourite entry of all...

On 8 January 1778, Giles Boardman supplied ten peach and nectarine trees.

Just a handful of names.

A few entries in an old account book.

Yet together, they tell the story of the people who physically created one of Lancashire's finest historic kitchen gardens.

They probably never imagined that, almost 250 years later, people would still be reading their names.

Or that the walls they helped build would still be standing.

History often remembers the people who commissioned great places.

But places like this were built by craftspeople.

Brickmakers.

Bricklayers.

Blacksmiths.

Gardeners.

People whose legacy isn't found in statues...
..but in work that simply stood the test of time.

As we restore the Walled Garden today, it's impossible not to think about those people.

We know so little about their lives.

Yet every volunteer, visitor and child who walks through these gates is benefiting from the care, pride and craftsmanship they left behind.

Perhaps that's the greatest legacy any of us can hope for.

Not to be remembered for our names...

But for the difference we leave behind.

🌿 Writing the next chapter by uncovering the last 250 years.

📖 From the archives: Sir William ffarington's cash book records payments to the people involved in constructing the Walled Garden during 1777–78, including 58,000 bricks, work on the garden walls, iron flue doors, and ten peach and nectarine trees.

💚 Next week: The Gardeners Who Brought It to Life.

Which of these names caught your attention most? We'd love to know in the comments—and if you have family stories connected to Worden Hall or the Walled Garden, we'd love to hear those too.

09/08/2026

Have you tried mulberries before? ☺️

One of my favourite things about this garden is our mulberry tree.

It's thought to be over 170 years old and every summer it produces hundreds of delicious berries.

I've lost count of the number of visitors who've said, "I've never tasted a mulberry before."

If you're passing through the garden while they're in season, do have a look. It's one of those little experiences that makes this place so special.

If you're visiting over the next week or so, you're very welcome to pick a couple of the ripe ones and give them a try. Small donations welcome when you visit💚

Just beware of the red-stained hands and clothes! 😂

08/08/2026

Great to have Simon spending time with us at the Walled Garden. His work is amazing 👏 Simon and Linsdey have been working so hard to make the space usable again and I think all will agree it looks great! This is just the start of bringing everything to life, and being able to have such incredible talent drawing right here in this historic space, is a real joy 💚

07/08/2026

💚💚💚

Happy Friday! ☀️

If you're heading into Worden Park today, come and wander into the garden.

We've got:

🌸 Fresh flower bouquets (£5)

🪴 Plants (£3)

🎨 Free children's crafts in the teepee

💚 Our lovely volunteers getting stuck in and making new friendships

We'll be here until 2:30pm if you fancy saying hello.

Emily x

05/08/2026

Speak to Matt about spending the day with us 🌿 https://rootedconnections.org.uk/corporate

A huge thank you to everyone from Autotrader who came to spend the day with us recently.

We got chatting about how much can actually be achieved when lots of people chip in for just a few hours.

Turns out...

Quite a lot!

There were jobs we'd been putting off simply because there weren't enough hands.

By the end of the day we'd ticked loads of them off.

If your company offers volunteering days, we'd genuinely love to hear from you.

Whether there are five of you or fifty, we'll happily put the kettle on and find you something satisfying to get stuck into.

https://rootedconnections.org.uk/corporate

02/08/2026

Some of our wonderful volunteers have been helping to clean up our TeePee, which means we will be setting up some free children's crafts on Friday's throughout the Summer ☀️

Pop in and say hello, and pick up a handpicked bunch of fresh flowers if your heart desires 😄💚

02/08/2026

Next year, here in Leyland, we'll celebrate a huge milestone.

🌿 The Walled Garden at Worden Park turns 250 years old.

Over the past year, as we've begun restoring the garden, we've also begun uncovering its remarkable story.

📜 Old newspaper reports.
📚 Archive documents.
📸 Historic photographs like this one.
💚 Memories shared by local people.

Every discovery reminds us that this isn't just the story of a garden...

It's the story of our community.

So today, we'd like to invite you to join us on a journey.

Between now and the garden's 250th anniversary next year, we'll be sharing the fascinating stories we've uncovered from the last two and a half centuries.

Some will celebrate the people who cared for this place.
Some will reveal traditions long forgotten.
Some will uncover mysteries we're still trying to solve.

Most importantly, we hope they'll encourage you to share your own memories too.

Because every generation inherits something...
and every generation leaves something behind.

The people who built this garden in 1777 left us an extraordinary legacy.

Now it's our turn to ensure its story and its future continue for generations to come.

We hope you'll join us.

🌿 250 Years of The Walled Garden begins today.

👇 Do you have a memory, photograph, or family story connected to the Walled Garden or Worden Hall? We'd love to hear from you. Please leave a comment, send us a message, or tag someone who might have a story to share.

Every memory helps us tell the story more completely.