By Caren Barry
One summer, tucked away in a leafy-green corner of the Suffolk countryside, we discovered one of our favourite walled gardens to date. Helmingham Hall Gardens; a beautiful moated manor house with the unique feature of a moated walled garden too. This place has been a firm favourite of ours for many years now, since 2017 to be precise – which is when I captured these photos. From our very first visit to our most recent, I always come home feeling incredibly inspired.
Nestled in the rolling countryside of Lincolnshire lies this beautiful estate, which I’ve been visiting with my family for the past seven years. Easton Walled Gardens; a nurturing sanctuary that sings with the seasons. I always look forward to our annual pilgrimage for the boost of creativity it generously grants me alongside my discoveries from within the inspiring gardens.
For me, one of the biggest joys of motherhood, is introducing my daughter to the places that are a special part of my childhood. Hunstanton holds many memories for me (my sisters and parents too). The promise of ice creams, sand castles and jaunts to the fairground and arcades with our entire savings of copper pennies, filled us all with so much excitement. We’d visit every year as soon as the weather was warm enough for sandals and the five of us would jump into our car for the quick trip from home to the seaside.
Every year, I always look forward to a family walk through our local National Trust garden to see the Snowdrops. We’re fortunate to have a beautiful display on our doorstep. The gardens and woodlands at Anglesey Abbey always put on an impressive show, but this year our Winter’s walk looked a little different…
I’m hopping back a couple of seasons again. This time I’m revisiting the beautiful Georgian market town of Holt in Norfolk. After escaping a sudden downpour during our walk in Sheringham Park, we drove through this little town seeking shelter and food. Well, the charm of this town captured our hearts immediately.
As I eagerly (and a little impatiently) await the arrival of Spring, I thought it would be lovely to share some picture postcard moments from one joyful Summer’s day spent exploring and discovering the magic of Holkham Walled Garden.
Autumn. Quite possibly one of my favourite seasons. I’m October born and have many fond memories celebrating during the beautiful transition of seasons. The magical shift from the rich greens and colours of summer to the abundance of glorious earthy-golden hues of autumn. It brings me so much joy to observe and as the years have passed, feels significant and symbolic of motherhood.
The first time I visited Castle Ashby Gardens was in the Spring of 2017, before embarking on my journey into motherhood. Four years later, on a warm October day, I introduced Emilia to these beautiful gardens and it felt like a special moment for me and my romantic heart. Wandering the estate together and rediscovering the magic of these unique gardens through her eyes was a happy adventure, filled with simple moments I will cherish, always.