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Valley Gardens Walk

Valley Gardens - Magnesia Well Café, Valley Drive, Harrogate, North Yorkshire, HG2 0JH

A guided walk through this Grade II listed 17-acre park, home to 36 medicinal wells; specialist gardens; and magnificent trees, often with fascinating origins and histories. Hosted by Jane Blayney, an expert and author on Valley Gardens.

A highlight of our walk will be to admire several of the magnificent trees, planted from across the world, including the oldest - the Wollemi Pine that originated from Australia 90 million years ago. We’ll also learn about the Irish Yew, Weeping Willow and other especially significant trees.

The walk will include the Japanese “Garden of Serenity”, along with each of the Memorial Rose, New Zealand, Peat, Dahlia, and Scree Gardens, and will pass through the original Bogs Field, Victoria’s Jubilee extension (1886), and Collins Field (1901) areas.

As well as stopping to view several of the old well heads, the tour will pass the Old Magnesia Well Pump Room (1858) - open as a separate Heritage Open Days event - and we will hear about the changing uses of the famous Sun Pavilion (1933) and glazed colonnade. We will pause to admire and learn about the recently restored King Edward VII Memorial Gate.

More information can be found on the contents of the tour in “The Souvenir Guide to Valley Gardens” and “A Guide to the Trees of Valley Gardens Harrogate”, both co-authored by your tour’s host, and available at the link below ("Additional Information").

The walk begins outside the former New Magnesia Well Pump Room (1895), which dispensed waters until the 1970s, and is today’s Magnesia Well Café.

This event took place in September 2023 and the entry is now archived.

Organised by

Jane Blayney

Date last modified: 15th August 2023 at 13:49