Middlethorpe Hall Celebrates the Life and Work of Fanny Wilkinson with the Unveiling of a Blue Plaque

• Fanny was the first female landscape gardener and lived at Middlethorpe Hall
• Middlethorpe Hall is an award-winning hotel with 20 acres of gardens
• Special event on 9th June 2022 includes a lecture, afternoon tea and tour

Fanny Rollo Wilkinson (1855–1951) was the first woman to make a professional career as a landscape gardener in the UK. On Thursday 9th June 2022, Middlethorpe Hall will unveil an English Heritage Blue Plaque in the walled garden of this award-winning hotel, now part of the National Trust.

This pioneer gardener was the eldest child of Dr Matthew Wilkinson, a leading Manchester physician and the second husband of Frances Barlow, from whom he inherited Middlethorpe Hall. As Fanny explained, ‘When my father died (in 1878) we went to live at our own place, near York (Middlethorpe Hall), and there I began to devote myself to gardening in a practical way’.

Guests can attend the special event on 9th June from 1.30pm for a champagne and canapé reception, followed by the unveiling of the blue plaque. A lecture on Fanny’s life achievements by Elizabeth Crawford will be followed by a special afternoon tea themed on gardens. Afterwards there is the option of a garden tour. Tickets are priced £44 and are on sale now.

Fanny Wilkinson was one of the first women to make a professional career as a Landscape gardener. She laid-out Vauxhall Park in London for the Kyrle Society, a ‘Society for the Diffusion of Beauty’ among the urban poor. The Society was founded by Octavia Hill’s sister, Miranda, and was an important forerunner of the National Trust.

The famous blue plaques scheme available throughout the UK, celebrates the links between notable figures of the past and the buildings in which they lived and worked. There are now more than a hundred plaques spread around the city of York.

The gardens at Middlethorpe Hall have been extensively restored and replanted since the property was acquired in 1980 by Historic House Hotels, now part of the National Trust. There are many specimen trees, including a Cedar al Lebanon on the main lawn, a mature Red Oak in the Spring Garden, and a Turkey Oak all of which remain from the original garden.

The enchanting walled kitchen garden produces not only a beautiful display of flowering shrubs, magnificent herbaceous borders but holds herb beds and has been planted for fruit: apples, pears, plums, peaches and greengages, all of which are used by the Chef to create wonderful puddings. The team of Gardeners has also created an organic ‘potager’, producing a large selection of vegetables that are used by chefs during the season.

The main feature of the walled kitchen garden is a mellow brick Dovecote, dating back to 1681 and rescued from dereliction in 1980, now used as a wine cellar. To the west of the kitchen garden is the Rose Garden its wide stone path lined with lavender. The kitchen garden links through to the walled White Garden planted with white flowering plants such as Wisteria Floribunda and Agapanthus Campanulatus Albus below. This then leads into the Spring Garden and then the park and arboretum, eventually through to a lake surrounded by a glade of trees.

There are 29 bedrooms, an award-winning restaurant and boutique spa. Each of the bedrooms at Middlethorpe Hall is individually designed and has its own distinct story. The classically panelled dining room provides the perfect setting to enjoy the contemporary take on traditional British food. The restaurant has been awarded two AA Rosettes. The spa at Middlethorpe Hall, with its pool and sauna, is the perfect place to relax and recharge.

A special part of staying at Middlethorpe Hall is that guests can talk to the head gardener and his team. Andrew Leighton has been working at Middethorpe Hall for many years and has been in charge as Head Gardener since February 2017. He works alongside a team of dedicated volunteers, all with a passion to look after the 20 acres of formal garden and parkland that surround Middlethorpe Hall. The gardens have been awarded ‘Yorkshire in Bloom’ awards over several years.

www.middlethorpe.com
B&B priced from £245.00 per night based on two sharing