There is so much to do and see at Ripon Walled Garden

Historic Walled Garden

Ripon Walled Garden was originally built as the kitchen gardens for the neighbouring historic Bishops Palace.  When the Bishop relocated, the site was taken over by Barnardos as part of Spring Hill School. The garden fell into disrepair over the years until being brought back to life as a joint venture by Barnardos and Ripon Community Link in 1992 as a site for therapeutic horticulture.  Ripon Community Link now own and operate the site independently and continue to care for and develop this wonderful place.

Free Entry and Parking

There is no charge to enter the garden, though as a Charity we would appreciate a donation. We have ample parking including disabled bays at the entrance gate.

The Garden

Our historic walled garden is open daily. We have a variety of areas to explore and enjoy. Including herbaceous borders, raised cut flower and veg beds and our wild and wonderful Victorian apple orchard. 

The Orchard

Our Orchard has a wonderful variety of apple trees and fruit bushes.  We have some extremely rare apple types.

In summer the ground is full of beautiful wildflowers.  An ideal place to relax.  We have recently installed some benches in the orchard so visitors can stay and enjoy a drink and snack from the Garden Cafe.

The Woodland

After a period of closure our wonderful woodland is now open! Thanks to a grant from Betty's Trees For Life and the invaluable support of volunteers including a team from Rudding Park it is now possible to take a walk in the woodland to enjoy the wildlife and peace and quiet. We have lots of areas to discover, including our bird hide, willow story telling circle and enchanted garden.

Garden Cafe 

PLEASE NOTE: ALL REFRESHMENT FACILITIES ARE CURRENTLY CLOSED. 

We currently have our Garden cafe open daily 10AM - 3PM which is serving hot drinks including freshly ground coffee, homemade scones and cakes, snacks and ice cream. This is a takeaway service and we have plenty of seating in the garden for you to enjoy. We hope you will continue to support us with this slightly different service and can understand why we have made this decision. We will  continue developing what we offer and hope to include a covered seating area soon. 

The Shop

Our shop sells a range of products including our famous jams and chutneys, made onsite using produce from the garden, our apple juice made from the apples we harvest in the orchard and honey from our hives onsite and from a local producer.  We also sell a range of items from local artists and crafted by our service users.  One of our brilliant volunteers makes wooden items for the garden such as bird tables and planters.  These can be custom made to order.

The Plant Nursery

Our service users and staff work all year round in the gardens to maintain and develop the site.  We grow a range of plants all selected to offer a wide range of choice throughout the year.  In Spring the sales area is filled with young plants and bedding ready for summer colour in your garden.  In Summer there are perennials and in the Autumn a selection of bulbs.