It’s astonishing to think that, only 10 years ago, this strange and wonderful garden was buried beneath thousands of tons of soil, lost and forgotten for half a century.
Built around 1893, Henry Oakley created a garden – his own personal wonderland – that was described by the few who visited as a “magical and wondrous place”.

When Oakley died in 1940, the gardens fell into disrepair, and were eventually buried and returned to farmland just after WW2. After a huge excavation and renovation  project beginning in 2001, the gardens are now open to visitors during the summer months.

The gardens contain many ponds and rills but interestingly a labyrinth of underground grottoes, tunnels and sunken ferneries.The rock gardens are made up of a mixture of real stone and faced stone using various types of Pulhamite.