Rockingham Castle

About Rockingham Castle

Rockingham Castle was built on the orders of William the Conqueror and offers a spectacular view over the Welland Valley. A Royal Castle for 500 years, it was leased by the current owner’s ancestor Edward Watson from Henry VIII in 1544. His grandson, Sir Lewis Watson bought it from James I in 1619.

The original Motte and Bailey design still influences the sweeping formal gardens you see today. These include a wealth of roses – from hybrid teas to climbers covering every wall – and a dramatic wild garden, and features five key areas covering 13 acres in total.

THE TERRACE
Has two borders: one by Salvin’s Tower planted with peonies and hydrangeas; the second, using the Naval Lobby door as its design influence, planted with scented herbs with its central diamonds filled by spring bulbs and later, a selection of cosmos.

The magnificent Elephant Hedge – a double Yew hedge over 400 years old – divides the Terrace Garden and Cross Garden.

THE CROSS
The Cross Garden was designed by John Codrington with two intersecting double borders of the hybrid tea rosa Amazing Grace, lavender and nepeta, with a sundial at its heart. To the side is an avenue of David Austen standard roses in a variety of colours. The bandstand arbour is covered with a rambling rose while the borders beneath are filled with perennial tulips and later echinops ritro Veitch’s Blue and veronicastrum virginicum Album.

THE ROSE GARDEN
The Rose Garden is on the site of the 11th century keep of the original Motte and Bailey castle. The yew hedge mirrors the layout of the later 17th century structure, with the entrances on the site of the original gun ports. The beds include different hybrid tea roses in blocks of colour with a circle of standard roses in the centre.

THE JEWEL BORDERS
Robert Myers designed the herbaceous borders in 2004, creating a series of rooms divided by yew and box hedging. We are currently rejuvenating these borders with the help of Kate Toller. New plants and shrubs are being added from hydrangeas, deutzia and tree peonies to kniphofia, crocosmia, peonies and salvias.

THE WILD GARDEN
Originally a Victorian Pleasure Garden, this beautiful strolling site contains a wide variety of specimen trees and is carpeted with snowdrops and daffodils in the spring.

Tickets can be booked online in advance at rockinghamcastle.digitickets.co.uk/event-tickets/49223 or purchased on arrival at the ticket office.

Light refreshments, cream teas, home-made cakes, coffee and wine in Walker's House Tearoom. Tickets can be booked online in advance through garden website or purchased on arrival at the ticket office.