Launch of RHS Bridgewater fundraising appeal and plans for North West’s first ‘Mother Orchard’ unveiled

A fundraising appeal for the final £4.8m to complete the Royal Horticultural Society’s, fifth garden at RHS Bridgewater has been launched alongside the announcement of the North West’s first ‘Mother Orchard’.

Peel L&P joined RHS Ambassadors Nick Knowles and Carol Klein at a fundraiser event at the RHS Bridgewater site which will open to the public in autumn 2020 in the grounds of the historic Worsley New Hall in Salford.

The RHS also unveiled plans for the creation of the region’s ‘Mother Orchard’ a RHS Bridgewater, a traditional orchard garden on a 3.5-acre plot which will wrap around the original 1834 Garden Cottage.

The orchard will feature a mix of apple, pear, plum, cherry and damson trees and will be the largest of the 11 gardens within the majestic 11-acre Weston Walled garden, one of the biggest walled gardens in the country. Its design is a partnership between Curator Marcus Chilton-Jones and local landscape architect form Gillespies.

Work is well underway to create the new 154-acre RHS Bridgewater garden which will adjoin the Bridgewater Canal near Worsley village.

It is a collaboration between freehold owners of the Worsley site Peel L&P and Salford City Council and is part of the RHS’ wider ten-year £100+ million investment programme to make the UK a greener and more beautiful place.

Louise Morrissey, Peel L&P, Director of Land & Planning attended the event. She said: “The new Mother Orchard will be a great addition to what is going to be a really fantastic visitor attraction for Salford and we hope it will be enjoyed by people of all ages, from far and wide, for generations to come when it opens next year.”

Nick Knowles, RHS Ambassador, said: “At 154 acres, RHS Garden Bridgewater will bring a sizeable patch of world class horticulture to within an hour’s drive of 8.2m people in the region, delivering significant benefits to people and the environment. This heritage orchard, which will save rare varieties of pear and apple for future generations, is just one example. We want everyone to help us make this exciting project happen.”

RHS Bridgewater has been designed by award-winning landscape architect Tom Stuart-Smith, who also created the dedicated Bridgewater garden at the Chelsea Flower Show.