When are Thornton Hall Gardens near Darlington open this year?

The first opportunity to explore the gardens will be on Monday, May 25, when the gates open alongside a popular plant fair.

For many visitors, it marks the return of what has become a much-anticipated annual event in the County Durham countryside.

Thornton Hall Gardens (Image: SARAH CALDECOTT)

Thornton Hall is not a visitor attraction in the traditional sense. It is a working farm, and the gardens are opened to the public just a handful of times each year.

In recent years, word-of-mouth praise and social media have quietly turned Thornton Hall into a ‘must-visit destination’ for garden lovers, history enthusiasts and those seeking a different kind of day out.

Visitors have described it as “unexpected”, “joyfully theatrical” and “like stepping into a secret world”, a reputation that has steadily grown.

The gardens sit beside Thornton Hall itself, a Grade I listed building constructed around 1550 by Ralph Tailbois.

Thornton Hall and Gardens, near Darlington (Image: SARAH CALDECOTT)

One of the oldest buildings in the Borough of Darlington, the hall is a rare architectural blend of Tudor, Elizabethan, Jacobean and Georgian styles, reflecting centuries of change.

What makes the gardens particularly remarkable is that they are a relatively recent creation.

When Michael and Sue Manners moved to Thornton Hall in 1989, the walled gardens were little more than grassy paddocks grazed by cattle.

With no formal training and no grand design, Sue began transforming the land by hand.

Thornton Hall and Gardens (Image: SARAH CALDECOTT)

More than 30 years later, that hands-on approach has resulted in a richly planted and characterful space.

According to its website, visitors can expect more than 100 varieties of roses, alongside collections of delphiniums, peonies and irises.

There are secret corners with quirky sculptures and tucked-away seating, as well as a meadow, wildlife ponds and a productive vegetable garden.

Despite attracting hundreds of visitors each year, the limited opening dates give Thornton Hall a fleeting quality. Miss a date, and you may have to wait another year.

After the May 25 opening, the gardens will welcome visitors on Wednesday, June 3, 10, 17 and 24, Sunday, June 28, and Wednesday, July 1, 8 and 15.

All opening days run from 10am to 4pm.

Admission is £10 per person, payable at the gate.

However, numbers are limited by the setting, and regular visitors advise arriving early, particularly for the first opening in May, which is expected to be especially popular.