The Walled Gardens at Croome Court

The Walled Gardens at Croome Court The Walled Gardens at Croome Court, one of the finest Georgian walled gardens in the UK. Follow the brown signs to Croome, National Trust, from A38 or B4084.

The Walled Gardens at Croome Court: A Labour of Love by Chris & Karen Cronin

In 2000, Chris and Karen Cronin embarked on an extraordinary journey to restore one of Europe's largest Georgian walled gardens, nestled within the Croome Court estate. Dating back to the 16th century and once a part of the Coventry family estate, these magnificent gardens had fallen into a state of ruin—overgrown, abandoned, and long forgotten. Despite warnings about the immense challenge ahead, Chris and Karen saw potential where others saw decay. Driven by passion and vision, they set out to revive the gardens and uncover the history hidden beneath the overgrowth. For over two decades, they dedicated themselves to meticulous restoration, preserving original features while breathing new life into the space. Today, The Walled Gardens have been beautifully restored and are open to the public on Saturday and Sunday from April to September, along with Bank Holidays, showcasing their natural beauty and rich history. The ongoing evolution of the gardens continues to reveal new treasures and stories, making every visit a unique experience. The Cronins' hard work, perseverance, and love for this special place ensure that its magic will be enjoyed for generations to come. Entry through National Trust Visitor Centre, High Green, Worcester, Worcestershire, WR8 9DW. Admission is £7 per adult, and children under 14 enjoy free entry (regular National Trust admission applies), with all funds contributing to the continuous restoration and maintenance of the historic gardens.

💬 We always love hearing what visitors think of The Walled Gardens, but this one was particularly lovely to receive.So m...
16/09/2026

💬 We always love hearing what visitors think of The Walled Gardens, but this one was particularly lovely to receive.

So much work has gone into restoring and developing the gardens over the years, so hearing from someone returning after a long gap and noticing just how much has changed means a great deal to Chris and Karen.

We were also very pleased to hear that some of our tomatoes went home with them and were put to good use! 🍅 Nothing wasted here – and homemade tomato and basil soup sounds like a very good ending for them.

Thank you for taking the time to leave such a lovely review and for coming back to see us. 🌿

15/09/2026

🌧️ What a difference a bit of rain makes!

After such a long, hot and dry summer, we’re obviously very pleased to have finally had some proper rain at The Walled Gardens. The lawns and borders are looking much greener again, and plants that had been struggling through the dry conditions are starting to bounce back.

Of course, greener grass also means one thing… Chris is back on lawn-mowing duties! 😂 After weeks when there was very little grass to actually cut, the mower is back out and there’s plenty to keep him busy across our seven acres.

It’s lovely to see the gardens looking refreshed as we head into the final few weekends of our 2026 season. 🌿

🍉 We think our watermelons are almost ready!After plenty of sunshine this summer, we’ve been keeping a close eye on the ...
14/09/2026

🍉 We think our watermelons are almost ready!

After plenty of sunshine this summer, we’ve been keeping a close eye on the watermelons growing here at The Walled Gardens, and we think these are getting very close to picking.

The only trouble is, the birds have a habit of spotting when fruit is ready before we do! If we can rescue these before they start pecking at them, we’ll have a few available to buy at the garden gate this weekend.

There aren’t many, so if you fancy a Walled Gardens-grown watermelon, you’ll need to be quick. 🍉

We’re open Saturday and Sunday (until 27th September), 11am–5pm, with last admission at 4pm. Admission is £7 for adults and children under 14 are free when accompanied by a paying adult. Well-behaved dogs on leads are welcome too.

The Melon House may be out of its main growing season, but it’s still being put to very good use. 🧅At this time of year,...
13/09/2026

The Melon House may be out of its main growing season, but it’s still being put to very good use. 🧅

At this time of year, the warm, dry and well-ventilated conditions make it an ideal spot for drying and storing some of the produce harvested from the garden – including these Red Baron onions.

Allowing onions to dry properly after lifting helps prepare them for storage, ready to be used over the months ahead. It’s another part of the growing cycle that visitors don’t always get to see, and a reminder that the work in a productive garden certainly doesn’t stop once something has been harvested.

You can take a closer look inside The Melon House when you visit us next weekend.

🌿 Open Saturday & Sunday until the end of September
🕚 11am–5pm, last entry 4pm
🎟️ £7 adults | Children free when accompanied by a paying adult
🐕 Well-behaved dogs on leads are welcome

Usual NT Croome admission applies.

Our peppers are certainly enjoying themselves this year! 🌶️We’re growing a few different varieties across the garden, an...
12/09/2026

Our peppers are certainly enjoying themselves this year! 🌶️

We’re growing a few different varieties across the garden, and they’re doing particularly well at the moment, with plenty of fruit developing amongst the foliage – including these wonderfully dark, almost black peppers.

You’ll find them in the beds in front of The Melon House and along the South Border, so keep an eye out as you explore the garden.

There’s still plenty growing as we head further into September, making these final few weekends a lovely time to see what’s been happening in our productive areas.

🌿 Open Saturday & Sunday until the end of September
🕚 11am–5pm, last entry 4pm
🎟️ £7 adults | Children free when accompanied by a paying adult
🐕 Well-behaved dogs on leads are very welcome

Usual NT Croome admission applies.

🍅 Saving a little of this year for next year…As the tomato season begins to come to an end here at The Walled Gardens, a...
11/09/2026

🍅 Saving a little of this year for next year…

As the tomato season begins to come to an end here at The Walled Gardens, attention is already turning to what we’ll be growing in 2027.

We’ve been busy saving seeds from this year’s tomatoes, carefully labelling each variety before leaving them to dry in The Melon House. These will be kept ready for planting next year, continuing the cycle from one growing season to the next.

And the remaining tomatoes certainly won’t be going to waste either.

This Sunday, local artisan producer Mark from Bellringer’s Preserves will be visiting the gardens to collect what’s left of our crop. Mark makes his preserves by hand in small batches, and our tomatoes will be heading into some of his chutneys and sauces.

It’s a lovely way to make use of the final produce of the season – some tomatoes providing the seeds for next year’s plants, while the rest are transformed into something completely different to be enjoyed long after the growing season has finished.

There’s something rather satisfying about seeing every last bit of the harvest put to good use. 🍅🌱

Just THREE weekends left to visit us this year! 🍂It hardly seems possible, but we’re now approaching the end of our 2026...
10/09/2026

Just THREE weekends left to visit us this year! 🍂

It hardly seems possible, but we’re now approaching the end of our 2026 season at The Walled Gardens at Croome Court.

After months of welcoming visitors through the gates, there are now only three weekends remaining before the gardens close at the end of September.

It’s been quite a season. We’ve watched the gardens move from the first signs of spring into summer, navigated some exceptionally hot and dry weather, harvested fruit and vegetables and seen the orchards filling with apples and pears. And, as always, it has been lovely to see so many familiar faces returning alongside people discovering the gardens for the first time.

If a visit has been on your list for this year but you haven’t quite made it yet, now is the time!

There are seven acres to explore, including the historic Hot Wall, Tod Vinery, Dipping Pond, Mosaic Garden, Mediterranean Garden, Pineapple House and Water Garden, as well as the productive beds and orchards.

🌿 Only three weekends to go

📅 Open Saturday & Sunday
⏰ 11am–5pm | Last admission 4pm
🎟️ Adults £7 | Under 14s free (usual NT Croome admission applies)

We’d love to welcome you before the gates close for another year.

Who’s planning one last visit before the end of September?

What a wonderful review to receive. 🌿Thank you to Bethany Rose for taking the time to share such thoughtful words follow...
09/09/2026

What a wonderful review to receive. 🌿

Thank you to Bethany Rose for taking the time to share such thoughtful words following her visit to The Walled Gardens at Croome Court.

It’s particularly lovely to hear her appreciation not only for the gardens themselves, but for the years of restoration, history and storytelling behind them; and, of course, the Pineapple House making an impression too! 🍍

Reviews like this mean a great deal to Chris and Karen and everyone involved in continuing to restore and care for this very special place.

If you’ve visited us this season, we always love hearing what stood out most from your time in the gardens.

There’s a lot of history behind the walls at Croome – more than 250 years of it. 🌿The Walled Gardens are believed to hav...
08/09/2026

There’s a lot of history behind the walls at Croome – more than 250 years of it. 🌿

The Walled Gardens are believed to have been established in the mid-18th century, during the transformation of the wider Croome Estate under the 6th Earl of Coventry. At the time, walled gardens were an essential part of a large country estate, providing protected growing spaces for fruit, vegetables and more exotic plants.

By the early 1800s, the gardens had developed considerably. One particularly important addition was a vinery designed in 1805 by renowned glasshouse specialist George Tod. Heated glasshouses and innovative growing techniques would have made this a busy, productive part of the estate, supplying an impressive variety of produce.

Like so many historic gardens, Croome suffered during the 20th century. Changing ownership, two World Wars and the loss of the large teams of skilled gardeners needed to maintain places like this took their toll. Glasshouses became derelict, borders disappeared beneath overgrowth and much of the garden's infrastructure was gradually lost from view.

Then, in 2000, Chris and Karen Cronin became custodians of The Walled Gardens, beginning what would become an extraordinary long-term restoration project.

Over the years they have reconstructed historic glasshouses including the Melon House, Fig House, Tomato House and Pineapple House, restored the central Dipping Pond, uncovered and interpreted the original Tod Vinery and brought productive growing back within the walls. New chapters have also been added through the Rose Garden, Mosaic Garden and Mediterranean Garden, while heritage apples and traditional vegetable growing continue the site's horticultural story.

Today, The Walled Gardens at Croome Court are considered one of the largest privately restored Georgian walled gardens in the UK – but perhaps the most remarkable thing is remembering just how different this seven-acre site looked when the restoration began more than 26 years ago.

If you've visited us, did you know quite how much history was hidden behind these walls? 🌱

Nearly a kilometre of walls, and more than two centuries of history within them. 🌿It’s easy to focus on what’s growing w...
07/09/2026

Nearly a kilometre of walls, and more than two centuries of history within them. 🌿

It’s easy to focus on what’s growing when you visit The Walled Gardens at Croome Court, but the walls themselves are an important part of the story.

The seven-acre gardens were originally created to provide the Croome estate with fruit, vegetables and flowers, with the walls helping to create the different growing conditions needed for such an extraordinary range of produce.

They’ve witnessed enormous change over the years – from the productive gardens of the Croome estate through decades of decline and, eventually, the painstaking restoration that Chris and Karen have undertaken since taking them on.

Today those walls once again surround productive beds, orchards, glasshouses and gardens filled with fruit, vegetables and flowers.

When you visit, it’s worth occasionally looking beyond what’s growing in front of you and thinking about just how much history surrounds it.

What part of The Walled Gardens do you find most fascinating?

📍 The Walled Gardens at Croome Court
🌿 Open Saturday, Sunday & Bank Holidays (April - September)
⏰ 11am–5pm | Last admission 4pm
🎟️ Adults £7 | Under 14s free (usual NT Croome admission applies)

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Croome
Severn Stoke
WR89DW

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