If you’re looking for garden inspiration, you might want to take a look at Cragside, the National Trust property that has been voted Britain’s Favourite Garden.
In what was a close vote by readers of LoveLand magazine, the grounds of the Northumberland estate, designed by Lord Armstrong, came top of the poll.
Helmsley Walled Garden was voted into second place, with another National Trust property, Buckland Abbey in Devon, finishing in third.
Dale Stevens, senior gardener, said: “Cragside is an amazing place with something for everyone. Winning this award is an amazing feeling and it couldn’t have been done without the staff and volunteers for their hard work and commitment to Cragside and the National Trust.”
Located near Rothbury, Cragside was the family home of Lord Armstrong, a Victorian inventor and industrialist. It was the first house in the world to be lit by hydroelectricity.
It has more than 30 miles of footpaths and lakeside walks – there are five lakes – as well as one of Europe’s largest rock gardens. Its many gardens include a 1870s glasshouse, an Italian terrace, examples of carpet bedding and a Pinetum. It is also a home to the endangered red squirrel.