Mellor Open Gardens: Sunday 11th May 2025
Garden locations:
Visitors to Mellor Open Gardens are reminded that they are responsible for their own safety.
Some gardens may not be accessible to all members of the public due to the nature of the garden.
Please observe the safety signage and if in doubt ask the garden owners / helpers.
Please note that to visit the gardens purchase of a programme is essential!
The garden descriptions accompanying the photos on this page are truncated just to give you a flavour of what to expect.
For full descriptions of the gardens and to visit them on Sunday 11th May you must purchase a programme.
Programmes will be available on the day price £12, or in advance from the following Marple and Marple Bridge outlets at £10:
- Marple Bridge Stores (Post Office)
- Cancer Research UK Shop
- Littlewoods Butchers
- Stationery Supplies
- Hollins of Marple
- Dutsons
Garden No.1 - The Arboretum
Two acres of garden on a sunny, wooded hillside.
Set on a sunny, sloping wooded hillside, this two-acre garden is informally divided into several sheltered areas by borders, hedges and a drystone wall. There are lawns, ponds, a bog garden, a nursery area, a collection of clipped conifers and a wild woodland area ....
Garden No 2 - Sulky Teen
Creative design four years on.
Four years ago, when there was the last MOG, this garden was brand new. Every inch re-levelled, re-laid, replanted. A fresh-faced newborn. Turns out, in garden years, that's just enough time to turn adolescent. Dinky plants that were perfectly sized and proportionate ....
Garden No 3 - From Disaster to Decking
Contemporary landscaping on a dramatic site.
Everything literally went downhill in November 2021 when a landslip destroyed both ours and most of our neighbour's garden, leaving us with tonnes of soil, uprooted plants, broken walls and debris. The only solution was to stabilise the ground and build up with ....
Garden No 4 - Piled High
Triumph over adversity has created a wonderful modern space.
This garden occupies a steeply sloping site. In 2015, a significant landslip claimed the majority of the garden, leaving a very unsafe and unusable space. After many years of hard work, the garden now represents triumph over adversity! With help from a local architect ....
Garden No 5 - 50 Years in the Making
Variety and colourful curios feature in front and back gardens.
This gently sloping south-facing garden has seen a complete transformation over the course of 50 years. The back garden was originally a farmer's clay field which required drainage, levelling and fresh soil before anything could be planted. Both front and back gardens ....
Garden No 6 - A Landscaper’s Dream
Levels and landscapes in a long garden.
This is a garden all about different levels. It is about 12m wide but about 100m long and slopes downwards and to the right along its length. The front garden has a small circular lawn and a round pond. The top section at the rear of the house is a formal square ....
Garden No 7 - Naturally Dreamy
A secluded garden with its own personal style.
Once the clubhouse to the original Townscliffe Golf Club, sadly short-lived from 1908-1920, divots and greens were replaced by plants and borders. The secluded back garden includes a wave of Hakonechloa (Japanese forest grass), a shady fernery, an Epimedium bed ....
Garden No 8 - A total Hotchpotch
A garden to enjoy being in.
Our garden has changed over the years from one catering for three young boys to play in, into a calmer space with more seating and opportunities for relaxing. We garden with wildlife in mind and have included ponds, logs and rock piles, living roofs, longer grass ....
Garden No 9 - A little Corner of Italy
Clipped box hedging creates a unique and intimate front garden.
Nestled within the heart of Mellor, you'll discover a charming Italian-inspired front garden, a true hidden gem. This intimate space features meticulously clipped box hedging, fragrant roses, and lush hydrangeas, all beautifully arranged on a bed of natural wood chips. ....
Garden No 10 - The long View
Space for everyone to enjoy.
Two tall trees command the garden: a magnificent old oak in the centre of the front lawn and a lofty poplar at the back by the shed. In the centre of the back garden is an ornamental pond, home to newts, spawning frogs, water lilies and numerous insects. It is a ....
Mellor War Memorial Gardens
On the site of an old coal mine lies one of Mellor's hidden gems. It is a small, triangular public garden that has been lovingly restored and regularly tended by a group of dedicated neighbours. Fringed with a variety of mature shrubs, is always full of interesting textures and colour. Not only is is well worth a visit but it is also well-placed for a rest.
Garden No 11 - In traditional Style
Designed for sitting and relaxing among choice plants.
A traditional style garden: entering to a paved area with well-stocked flower beds and a small pond home to newts and frogs, step between flower beds on to the lawn, then pass through the arch to a secluded area with views toward the hills and Mellor Church. The planting ....
Mellor Primary School
Our village primary school enjoys a caring family atmosphere and a beautiful rural setting. We are part of the Forest School movement and are particularly proud that our children have recently been involved in a tree-planting project overseen by Cheshire Wildlife Trust. The school welcomes you today in support of Mellor Open Gardens. Come and enjoy the children's miniature gardens as well as plant sales, quizzes, tombola, raffle, rest and refreshments.
The Dark Peak Vineyard
Please note that there is no vehicular access, but if you choose to take the scenic walking route along Knowle Road up to Mellor Church, you will find a treat in store as the footpath takes you through the recently planted Dark Peak Vineyard. Yes, there could be a wait for the first vintages of Mellor wine, but never fear, the bar(n) will be open and serving some delicious English wine to taste. And there will be competition a to win some very special gin.
Garden No 12 - A 70-year-old Garden
An old orchard transformed into a rhododendron shrubbery.
This garden has been in the hands of the same family for seventy years. It is a long garden backing on to Slack Wood. Over the years it has become Lords, Old Trafford, Wimbledon and St. Andrews, as imagined by three generations of children. At the bottom of the garden ....
Garden No 13 - New Beginnings for an established Garden
A plant-lover’s garden among the trees.
This narrow, gently sloping south-facing garden makes good use of a beautiful surrounding tree-scape. It's a plant lover's garden made for people, frogs, insects and birds. The garden is evolving and several newly planted areas sit alongside more established borders so it's ....
Garden No 14 - Sit Down - a relaxed Garden
Low maintenance and evergreen with plenty of seating.
This low-maintenance, evergreen garden has plenty of seating areas for viewing the cloud topiary, conifers and mossy lawns. Sit by the pond and enjoy the woodland views or relax on the deck and look over Knowle Bank to the bluebell woods. Take a walk down the ....
Garden No 15 - Peaceful Garden Escape
Go across the large lawn to discover a magical woodland fairy glen.
This charming garden offers views of Mellor Church and surrounding area. The large lawn is bordered by shrubs and a variety of rhododendrons, with a path leading through a mature woodland to a stream and fairy glen, a whimsical village surrounded by ....
The Mellor Centre
The former school here on the hill is Mellor's community centre. Today it will be alive with activity: as well as musical entertainment from Werneth Swing Band, there will be an exhibition by local art groups, raffle, plant sales, a display of floral collage pictures and the story of Mellor's long involvement with Cancer Research UK at the RHS Tatton Park Flower Show. Please support our fundraising activities - the proceeds will help to maintain this much-loved building for our community as well as supporting the vital work of Cancer Research UK. And of course, you will be able to enjoy coffee and tea, light lunches and our famous homemade cakes!
Mellor Church
The inviting short walk through the churchyard will reward you with stunning panoramic views over Manchester, Cheshire and beyond. Then, in the church porch, you will find a floral and foliage installation by Assemblee of Marple Bridge, which celebrates the material and ethereal nature of the church. The interior boasts two very special treasures: the oldest wooden pulpit in England, and an 11th century carved font. However, please be aware that there will be a baptism at 12.30; at other times you are most welcome to come in and look around.
The Roman Garden
Mellor is an important historic site and a part of its famous archaeological excavations is on view here in this small public area. With an impressive, exposed defence ditch and the help of interpretation boards you can be taken right back to the Iron Age. Carefully selected planting enhances the atmosphere, as does a replica roundhouse which can be found in the adjoining field. Unfortunately, cows have also visited, much to the detriment of its thatch!
Garden No 16 - A Garden with a History
1.5 acres, magnificently sited and undergoing extensive renovations.
This garden sits on a magnificent site which has been occupied for several thousand years. Many of the artefacts unearthed during archaeological excavations can be found in The Stockport Museum. The house has undergone a programme of extensive renovations ....
Garden No 17 - A hidden Cottage Garden
Tucked out of sight but with lovely views.
Tucked discreetly out of sight, this small cottage garden stands 700 feet above sea level and and has lovely views to the North. We have mixed borders and a small pond with an adjacent boggy patch. Please allow for the fact that badgers regularly try to demolish our ....
Garden No 18 - The Vicarage
A one-year old garden in a special place.
The garden is effectively one year old and very much work in progress. Digging has unearthed countless pipe fragments and shards of glass, testament to the building's former life as the Church Inn! The south-facing front garden has amazing views to Cobden Edge ....
A 25-minute uphill walk from the vicarage will take you past the embryonic Mellor Wood to Garden No 19 -and you will be accompanied / by magnificent views.
Mellor Wood - A Rewilding Project
Not quite a wood yet, rather an impressive array of bio-degradable guards shielding the saplings - but the ethos is clear. With approximately 1,500 linear metres of mixed hedgerows (blackthorn, dog rose, holly, beech, hawthorn and honeysuckle) planted in Spring 2024, and 6000 indigenous trees planted between Autumn 2024 and Spring 2025, nature recovery taking place here is as much visible as it is audible. There are regular sightings of barn owls, little owls, curlews, meadow pipits, pheasants, treecreepers, kestrels, sparrowhawks, buzzards, badgers, deer, hares, rabbits and foxes. Cheshire Wildlife Trust will be on hand near the Mellor Centre to tell you more.
Garden No 19 - A Garden at the Peak!
A garden reaching great heights and offering breathtaking vistas.
Perched 900ft above sea level, this large, mature garden is our highest and well worth the climb, offering unrivalled views over rolling pastures out to Kinder Scout in the East and the Welsh hills to the West. Last opened for Mellor Open Gardens in 2000, the garden ....
Use the bus or park on Moor End Road and it is then an easy five-minute walk.
