Discover the walled gardens at medieval Raby Castle

Raby Castle in the Durham Dales was built in the 14th Century by the mighty Neville’s, and has been home to Lord Barnard’s family since 1626.

Explore the traditional 18th Century ornamental walled gardens in the grounds of this dramatic castle; the gardens extend to five acres, with formal lawns, rose gardens and ornamental pond framing picturesque views of the Castle and the valley beyond. 

The walls of locally hand-made bricks were constructed with flues which, and when heated, enabled sub-tropical fruits such as apricots to be grown on the south terrace. Of these, only the White Ischia Fig brought to Raby in 1786 by William Harry, Lord Barnard, still survives in its specially built house, fruiting annually. New features have now matured and blend happily with the remaining parts of the older garden to create a pleasure garden for visitors to enjoy and where many events take place in the summer including outdoor theatre events. 

Many of the original features remain in the gardens too, including two fine yew hedges, and the ornamental pond, which was originally constructed to provide water for the kitchen garden. And for the kids, don't miss the woodland adventure playground.

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