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Please use the following format and info on your own site to link to your page in Gardens-Guide.com: at Gardens-Guide.com http://www.gardens-guide.com The premiere directory of open gardens in the UK and Ireland today Ask your friends and suppliers as well to link to your page in Gardens-Guide as well. Every link we get into your page helps rankings for both of us in search engines. **************************************************************** **************************************************************** **************************************************************** Garden Name: Ripley Castle Last Modified: 20-02-2012 Garden ID: 0441 pic: 0441_RipleyCastle.jpg NOTE: If this says "missing", then please send us a picture for your page which is at least 1000 x 1000 pixels in size. Thanks! Owner: Sir Thomas Ingilby Bt. Address: Harrogate Postcode: HG3 3AY County: Yorkshire tel: 01423 770152 fax: 01423 771745 website: www.ripleycastle.co.uk email: enquiries //at// ripleycastle.co.uk English Heritage Grade: I Opening Times: Every day (except Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year's Day); 9am - 5pm. 4.30pm in winter months Best Times of Year to Visit: All year To see: Spring Flowers, Hyacinths, herbaceous borders. National Collection: Hyacinths National Garden Scheme days: Yes Comments: Friday 7th September 2012 Parties / Coaches: Yes Comments: Welcomed. Viewing by Appointment: Yes Comments: Groups Yes if tour with Gardeners required contact Group Tour co-ordinator, Lesley Senior House Open for Viewing: Yes Comments: All year. Guided Tours only (75mins) first 11am - last 3pm. Open April - end Oct daily. Mar & Nov, - Tues, Thurs, Sat & Sun. Jan, Feb & Dec; Weekends only. Admission Prices: Castle & Gardens, Adult £9.00; Child (5-16) £5.50; Over 60s £8. Children in groups £5. Children under 5 free. Groups (20+) £8.00 Gardens only, Adult £6; Child £4; Over 60s £5.50. Children in groups £3.50. Children under 5 free. Groups (20+) £5 Annual Pass available, check own website Admission Prices: Castle & Gardens, Adult £8.50; Child (5-16) £5.50; Over 60s £8. Children in groups £5. Children under 5 free. Groups (20+) £7.50 Gardens only, Adult £6; Child £4; Over 60s £5.50. Children in groups £3.50. Children under 5 free. Groups (20+) £5 Annual Pass available, check own website Parking: Yes Lavatories: Yes Disabled Access: Yes Shop: Yes Plants for Sale: Yes Lunches: Yes Teas: Yes Refreshments: Yes Picnics: No Dogs allowed: No Only on Lead: No Events: Yes Other Facilities: Guide dogs are permitted Features: Winner of the "Pro Yorkshire Award for Tourism 2005" Winner of Best Small Visitor Attraction of the Year - Welcome to Yorkshire White Rose Awards Designer: Description of Garden: Ripley Castle gardens are intended to be a delight at any time of the year, but are particularly impressive in the Spring when the wonderful collection of Hyacinths is in bloom in the Walled Garden. There are some 60 varieties of Hyacinth grown here, some traditional, some modern. The remainder of the Walled Garden is filled with lawns, beds and borders and some rare fruit trees. Vegetables, herbs and spices are grown here for the Castle's table. The herbaceous borders are some of the longest in Britain. The extraordinary range of hot houses, renovated in 1991, are some 60 yards long, and contain a huge variety of cacti, ferns and tropical plants including citrus, begonias and bananas. In the centre of the hot houses is the Orangery-cum-Palm House crowned over its whole area by a roof of curved glass, like that of a Dutch barn. In the Pleasure Grounds, a walk around the lake allows glimpses of the herds of Fallow and Red deer which graze under the ancient oak trees. History: The gardens at Ripley were originally intended purely to supply the Castle with fruit and vegetables to complement the home farm's supply of meat and dairy produce. When Sir John Ingilby's over-ambitious plans for rebuilding the castle forced him and his wife into exile in the 1780s, gardening remained one of his consolations and he even requested his agent to bring him over a variety of seeds from Ripley, as they were much better than the ones he could obtain in France. His son, Sir William, started on a massive scheme to improve the estate, and especially the gardens, in the 1820s, with a Walled Garden of 4 acres separated into formal, flower and vegetable gardens by brick and stone walls. He also laid out the Pleasure Grounds of eight acres and the extraordinary set of hot houses on the other side of the wall of the formal garden. Local Inns: The Boar's Head, Ripley Malt Shovel, Brearton Accomodation: The Boar's Head Hotel, Ripley Restaurants: The Boar's Head, Ripley Village/Town/Sightseeing: Harrogate RHS Harlow Carr Gardens Fountains Abbey Yorkshire Dales Newby Hall Castle Howard Harewood House