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Opening Times
High Season: Saturday 28th March 2009 to Sunday 4th October 2009
Park: Monday to Sunday, 10.00 to 19.00 (last entry 18.00)
Gardens: Tuesday to Sunday 10.00 to 18.00 (last entry 17.00). Also open Mondays in August 10.00 to 17.00 (last entry 16.00).
Mansion: Tuesday to Sunday 13.00 to 17.00 (last entry 16.00). Guided tours at 12noon : £3 per adult/£1.50 per child (Charge is in addition to Mansion entry price). Tickets available on the day from the garden or mansion entrance.
Shops: Tuesday to Sunday 10.30 to 17.00
Restaurant: Monday to Sunday 10.00 to 18.00
Low Season: Monday 5th October 2009 to Friday 26th March 2010
Park: Tuesday to Sunday, 11.00 to 17.00 (last entry 16.00)
Gardens: Tuesday to Sunday 11.00 to 16.00 (last entry 15.00)
Mansion: Closed except Tue Oct 27th to Sun Nov 1st 2009 and for Christmas events
Farm: Saturday and Sunday 11.00 to 16.00 (last entry 15.00). Additional Opening Tuesday 27th to Friday 30th October 2009 and Tuesday 16th to Fri 19th February 2010.
Shops: Tuesday to Sunday 11.00 to 16.00
Restaurant: Tuesday to Sunday 11.00 to 16.00
Tatton Park Information
Tatton Park is one of the UK’s most complete historic estates. The Mansion, Gardens, Farm, Old Hall, 1,000 acre deer park and speciality shops offer something for everyone along with over 100 events annually.
The award winning estate receives over 750,000 visits each year and many people return again and again to enjoy this stunning area of Cheshire. We look forward to showing you why Tatton is so special.
Tatton Park is managed and financed by Cheshire County Council on behalf of the National Trust.
History: The Gardens at Tatton have been developing for over 200 years with each successive owner of the estate playing their part in its evolution.
Famous designers such as Joseph Paxton and Lewis Wyatt added variety and scope to the Gardens as they followed the trends and fashions of the time. This continued until the death of Maurice, the last Lord Egerton in 1958.
It was probably the latter, with his planting of large numbers of Rhododendrons and Azaleas, who made the Garden as well known as it is today.
The development of the gardens is connected to the growth of Tatton as an estate and particularly with the re-modelling of the house and the creation of the parkland in the 18th Century.
It also reflects the changing fashions in garden design and the inspiration of various members of the Egerton family.
The climate is interesting due to the Gardens inland position (altitude 60m). Cold winters restrict many ‘tender’ plants to warm walls.
Rainfall is low at 711mm but well distributed. The soil is acid pH 5.6. The area is also noted for recurring subsidence due to salt extraction and water abstraction.
Walled Garden: The walled gardens have recently undergone extensive restoration including all the ancillary buildings.
From mushroom sheds and onion stores to barns and glasshouses, all have been restored to their former use.
Today even the cultivation techniques along with the original varieties of vegetables and fruit reflect an era almost lost. It is also important to remember that this area is not just ‘a garden’ but also represents conservation and use of old skills now almost forgotten.
The vegetable garden is used for growing varieties of plant known to be cultivated at Tatton during the Edwardian era such as 'Scarlet Emperor' runner beans, 'Fat Lazy Blonde' lettuce and 'British Queen' potatoes.
Likewise the walled orchard contains varieties of fruit not only of the period but that were also known to be grown in Cheshire. Apples, pears, plums, gages and cherries are all present here in various forms, including the apple varieties 'Charles Ross', 'Rival' and 'Renown' and a large variety of northern and Cheshire cultivars.
Produce can be admired not only in the garden itself, but can also be purchased (when in season), at the garden shop, for you to enjoy at home.
The Japanese Garden: The Japanese Garden was almost certainly the result of Alan de Tatton’s visit to the Anglo-Japanese Exhibition at the White City in London in 1910.
It was a fashionable trend which resulted in a team of Japanese workmen arriving at Tatton’s gardens to put together what is now rated to be the “finest example of a Japanese Garden in Europe.”
The Shinto Shrine and artifacts contained within the garden are all reputed to have been brought from Japan especially for the construction of the garden.
The garden itself is in the style of the tea garden which does not reflect the strict discipline of other Japanese styles, e.g. the dry garden or the stroll garden.
In this form of art, the Japanese portray many scenes, both mythical and factual, but all must harmonise with nature. The important elements of plants, stones and rocks are carefully placed to produce a natural balance.
Stones and rocks are selected for their form, particularly their representative shape. It is not unusual for a mound to be built capped off with white stones representing the sacred snow capped Mount Fuji, the most important mountain in Japan.
Lanterns come in all shapes and sizes having different functions such as the specially shaped snow viewing lanterns, designed to trap as much snow as possible on the top of the lantern to add to the beauty of the garden in Winter.
Flowers as such are not given as much consideration, however tree shapes are of great importance and as a result pruning techniques are critical, taking many years to develop.
This garden uses many Japanese Maples or Acers which you would not always find in the true Japanese gardens. Attention is always paid to the form and shape of the plants as can be seen from the Bamboo at the west end of the garden. Many evergreen plants are also included here which add to the winter interest.
The garden was restored in 2000/2001 for the Japan Festival and was the result of over 14 years of research with input from various Japanese specialists.
The project restored the garden to its original state when first created for the Egerton family in Japanese ‘style’ with a heavy western influence.
Glasshouses: The glasshouses today give a reasonable representation of what would have been here originally. Glasshouses were built at Tatton from around the mid 1700’s with the trend for growing pineapples along with many other fruit including figs, apricots, grapes, peaches and nectarines.
The latest glasshouse restoration is that of the Pinery Vinery. This restored glasshouse is possibly the only genuine, rebuilt example of a Pinery Vinery in existence in Britain. It was originally designed by Samuel Wyatt during the heyday of the pineapple as a status symbol, when individual fruits were sold for the equivalent of £5,000 today.
Glasshouses however seemed to produce not only fruit for the table but also pot plants and cut flowers for the main house and the addition of orchid and general pot plant growing houses made this possible.
In its heyday, Tatton had as many as 20 orchid houses and one of those has now been restored with an extensive collection of orchids. It is hoped that in the future it will be able to
Admission
Vehicle Entry Charge: £4.50, Blue Badge Holder £2.50. (Car entry fee applies to all visitors including National Trust members).
Saturday 28th March 2009 to Friday 26th March 2010:
Single attraction £4.50 per adult, £2.50 per child (4-15 yrs), £10.00 per family (2 Adults & up to 3 children).
Totally Tatton Ticket (incl Mansion/Gardens/Farm) Adult £7.00, Child (4-15yrs) £3.50, Family £17.00 (2 Adults & up to 3 children).
National Trust Members: Free entry to the Gardens and Mansion, 50% discount to the Farm.
RHS Members: Free entry to the Gardens - vehicle entry charge £4.50, Blue Badge holder £2.50.
Contact
Tatton Park Gardens
Tatton Park
Knutsford
Cheshire
WA16 6QN
Tel: 01625 374400
Peak, Cheshire Tel / Fax: 01663 733787
website: www.tattonpark.org.uk
e-mail: tatton@cheshireeast.gov.uk
Access
Parking: Drop off zone for disabled passengers and limited blue badge holder spaces are available in the Stableyard car park, close to the Mansion and Gardens. Blue badge holder spaces are available in the main car park with level tarmac access to Stableyard (200m). Blue badge parking is available close to the Farm and Old Hall (by prior arrangement). Provision is made for nearest available areas for large parkland events/shows.
Accessible Toilets: There are accessible toilets available in the Stableyard and at Knutsford Entrance. Toilets are also available at the Old Hall and Home Farm during attraction opening times. There is tarmac access at the Stableyard and a cobbled approach to the toilets at Home Farm.
Wheelchair Loan: Electric buggies and manual wheelchairs are available for loan at the Garden entrance and Farm – only to be used at the attraction at which they are hired. Deposit required.
Visually Impaired: Braille and large print guides available for Mansion and Gardens. A large print version of a new garden trail is available at the Garden entrance.
Hearing Impaired: Mobile’ hearing loop systems are available for the Mansion, Old Hall and Farm by prior arrangement. Education rooms in the Stable area and Home Farm have static hearing loops.
Assistance Dogs: Assistance dogs are allowed in all areas of the estate both inside and outside.
Gardens: The Gardens at Tatton Park cover an area of 50 acres. The routes to the main show gardens are paved with compacted gravel which facilitates access for people using wheelchairs. Path gradients are within the recommended limits. Ramp to entrance, step-free access to most areas. Steps to formal and rose garden.
Stableyard: This area gives access to the Mansion, Gardens, Shops and Restaurant. Flagged pathways have been laid to avoid cobbled areas. Wheelchair friendly picnic tables are located in this area.
Shops and Restaurant: All Tatton shops and Stables Restaurant are fully accessible to wheelchair
