Helmingham Hall Gardens Summary

• Address: The Estate Office, Helmingham Hall, Helmingham, Stowmarket, IP14 6EF (Map)
• Tel: +44 (0)1473 890799
• Fax: +44 (0)1473 890776
• Owner: The Lord & Lady Tollemache
• Administrator: Katy Day
• E-mail: Click here to contact
• Website: Go to the Helmingham Hall Gardens website

They remained at Bentley as squires and knights throughout the turbulent years of those early centuries, fighting for both Henry II against the Welsh and Edward I against the Scots and quite often against their neighbours to retain their lands, Two Tollemache knights from Bentley fought at the Battle of Crécy against the French in 1346.

However, in 1487, John Tollemache married Elizabeth Joyce, the heiress of Helmingham, and his son Lionel also married a Joyce. further cementing the union, and so they moved to Helmingham where the Joyce family home of Creke Hall stood. John Tollemache and his wife proceeded to pull this down and build Helmingham, completed in 1510, as it stands today. surrounded by its deep moat, serene gardens and deer park.

When John Tollemache started work on Helmingham in 1480, it was built in traditional half-timbered style with an overhang to the upper floor both outside and inside the courtyard. There have been a number of changes in external appearance, hut the basic form of a courtyard manor house has never altered, and many of the brick chimneys arc original, although all have had to be repaired over the last two centuries.

It must have been some years after the family moved to Helmingham that they started work on the gardens, but old maps and drawings show that the original shape of the main walled garden predates the house by many years; it was most probably of Saxon origin and constructed to protect stock from marauders. There was a wooden palisade to protect the garden from the deer until the present garden wall was built in 1745.

The gardens consist of an historic walled kitchen garden, magnificent herbaceous and spring borders, wild flower garden, a herb and a knot garden, including a large collection of old fashioned roses. It is listed grade I by English Heritage.

There are two rose gardens at Helmingham, both formal, but very different in character. The main garden is on the west side of the house, while the second garden, to the east side of the house, was laid out in 1982. The intention was to create something that was close to the kind of garden the family might have had in Tudor times, but one that would include old, scented shrub roses. The garden is laid out in a pattern combining the square, the circle and the cross in three decorative themes. Some years later, it looks as if it must have always been there.

Take an Online Tour of Helmingham Hall Gardens by going to their Website.

The Park

The Park encloses 400 acres and has large herds of both red and fallow deer. Every year the stags grow antlers which they shed in the spring and, as they mature, the antlers grow to huge proportions. The deer have been in the Park for many centuries - the earliest mention of them is in 1660. In the archives there are reports of the Mound being used by the Helmingham Volunteers to practise their musketry during the Napoleonic Wars, but the Monument itself was constructed in about 1860, from the bricks of an ornamental seventeenth-century walled arboretum on the site, which had fallen into disrepair.

John Constable, whose brother was steward of the Tollemache woodlands, lived for some time at Helmingham Rectory, and painted a number of versions of A Dell in Helmingham Park. The oak tree in that picture, with its singular curved trunk, still stands. Some of the famous Helmingham oaks in the Park are estimated to be up to 900 years old, and many have immense girths, but the splendid oak avenue leading up the front drive was planted about 1680. This avenue and many trees in the Park suffered terribly in the great storm of 1987; a large replanting scheme is being carried out so that future generations will see little change.

Opening Times - 2012

Gardens:

• 1st May - 16th September: Tuesday - Thursday & Sunday, 12 - 5 pm (also Bank Holiday Mondays)

Admission Prices - 2012

• Adults - £6.00
• Child (5 - 15 years) - £3.50
• Groups (30+) - £5.00

More information on the garden can be found on The Gardens Guide.

Further information including opening times and prices

Image Gallery

Events for Helmingham Hall Gardens

• Plant Heritage and Spring Plant Fair - 27 May 2012
  10.30 am - 4 pm: This fair from Plant Heritage (a charity for the conservation of rare garden plants), has over fifty exhibitors including specialist nurseries, garden accessory suppliers, National Collections and a Problem Plant Clinic. A rare Xanths plant for the first 800 visitors! Plant Fair Entry - £6.00 (includes admission to the Gardens). At midday, Lady Xa Tollemache will be conducting a tour of the garden. Places limited, early booking essential - £20.00 per person.
• Suffolk Dog Day - 29 July 2012
  10.30 am - 5 pm: This event is organised on behalf of The Suffolk Foundation, all classes begin at 12.30 pm, but there are many fun-packed activities, stalls, refreshments and entertainments to be enjoyed from 10.30 am. Plus the grounds are great to go for a "walkies"!
• Festival of Classic and Sports Cars - 05 August 2012
  10 am - 5 pm: Held in association with the Suffolk Vehicle Enthusiasts Club (SVEC). Classic and sports car owners exhibit their cars, some of these take part in a parade up and down the main drive on two concourse runs during the day. More than 700 vehicles expected to attend, including Alvis, Bristol, Jensen, AC Riley, Armstong Sideley, Lea Francis, Crossley, BSA, Lagonda, Lanchester and Gordon Keeble from 10 decades of motoring history.
• East Suffolk Country Show - 01 September 2012 to 02 September 2012
  Oakleigh Fairs are hosting this Family Country Show, entertainment includes: arts, crafts, gifts and food marquees, children's entertainment, birds of prey and working dogs. Also included on Sunday will be the Companion Dog Show - so bring along a canine friend and have a go! - all proceeds from entries go to Marie Curie Cancer Care.
• NCCPG Plant Sale - 16 September 2012
  10.30 am - 4 pm: Plant Heritage is a charity for the conservation of rare garden plants - bring your plant problems and apple queries for the Plant Doctors and the Apple Detectives who will be available during the day. Specialist nurseries attending include Fernatix, Harvey’s Garden Plants and Woottens of Wenhaston selling a wide range of plants. National Plant Collections will be on display, plus stands selling garden furniture and accessories. Entry to plant sale - £6.00 (includes admission to Gardens).

Your Reviews of Helmingham Hall Gardens

There are currently no reviews for this Stately Home.

Additional Info for Helmingham Hall Gardens

• Parks
• Gardens
• Groups
• Dogs allowed
• Weddings
• Disabled Access
• Refreshments
• Picnics
• Conferences
• Filming
• Gifts
• Nursery
• Shop
• Car Parking

Heritage Groups

• Historic Houses Association

Credit Cards Accepted

• Mastercard
• Visa
• Diners Club
• Delta
• Switch
• JCB

Updating this Home

If you are the owner or manager of this property, now is your chance to update your information. In your interests, updates are checked to ensure that no incorrect information is entered from an unauthorised source.