Northumberland, England’s northernmost and sixth largest county, is majestic, with its rolling hills to the north, the wild moorlands in the west, and its east-facing, awe-inspiring beaches along the North Sea coast.

And, in the heart of the county about 35 miles north of Newcastle upon Tyne (where Steph and I have been living since October last year) there is a jewel of a garden, in the small market town of Alnwick (pronounced ‘Annick’), just now waking from its winter slumber.

This is The Alnwick Garden, the inspiration since 1996 of Jane Percy, Duchess of Northumberland (wife of the 12th Duke). Located on the estate of Alnwick Castle, home to the Dukes of Northumberland, there has been a garden here since 1750, created by the 1st Duke of Northumberland with the help of renowned landscaper, Capability Brown (who himself hailed from this county).

Today, the garden attracts visitors in their droves, and last Thursday, Steph and I made our second visit there, having first visited with our younger daughter Philippa in July 2005 when we were back in the UK on home leave from the Philippines.

But this time we returned as Friends of the Garden, with a dual membership given to us by family as a Christmas gift last December.

It’s not a large garden. Just 12 acres (4.9 ha), but is attractively sub-divided into a series of small gardens, garden rooms.

However, the central feature, without doubt, is the fabulous Grand Cascade with 120 water jets. There’s something magical about the sound of running water in a garden, and at Alnwick, you’re almost never out of hearing of running water, from the Cascade, from brightly shining steel sculptures, or runnels trickling down the slopes.

At the top of the Cascade is the entrance to the Ornamental Garden, formally laid out with miniature box hedges, taller yew hedges, as well as pleached trees. During this recent visit, there were plenty of tulips in flower in the borders, but most other plants were only just beginning to emerge. And among these were the delphiniums that will be a feature attraction later in the summer, just as they were when we visited in 2005.

So why did I say this was the world’s most dangerous garden? Just to one side of the Cascade is the entrance to the Poison Garden, a collection of 100 toxic, intoxicating, and narcotic plants . . . Visitors are strictly prohibited from smelling, touching, or tasting any plants, although some people still occasionally faint from inhaling toxic fumes while walking in the garden.

On the opposite side of the Cascade is the Serpent Garden with a number of steel and water sculptures. Very tactile.

And beyond that a bamboo grove, as well as the Rose Garden. The latter had not been planted in 2005 as far as I recall. In a bower on the edge of the Rose Garden is an impressive sculpture, made of lead that originally graced Syon House, the London home of the Dukes of Northumberland. It was apparently given to the then Duke in the late 18th century. Apparently the fox atop the sculpture (or urn?) indicates that the owner came from the landed gentry and had land on which they could hunt. The four faces represent the seasons, Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter. And the monkeys? Well, it seems these indicate that the family was wealthy enough to travel extensively and had seen monkeys in the wild.

As Friends of the Garden we can return at any time, subject to confirmed tickets through the current online booking system. And we must return soon, to view the Japanese cherry orchard of 329 trees, the largest collection of Taihaku in the world. The flower buds were about to break last week.

I’m sure I will be updating this post, or writing new ones during the year of our membership of this wonderful garden.

---

Here’s a link to an album of photos from both visits.