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A stately day out

Angela Kelly
6/ 8/2008

IT’S a favourite of the makers of Coronation Street and as a film location but Arley Hall’s warmest welcome is particularly reserved for its visitors.

The well-loved family seat in Northwich, Cheshire, has been the home of Lord Ashbrook’s mother’s family since the 15th century.

The impressive example of a Victorian country house built in the Elizabethan style is set in magnificent gardens acknowledged as among the finest in Britain.

In fact, Arley has been voted among the top 10 in the country and chosen as one of the Gardens of Distinction for Cheshire’s Year of the Gardens 2008.

And it is probably the combination of these beautiful grounds and the historic hall that have made it such a ready choice for film-makers of all kinds.

It was the setting for Liam Connor and Maria Sutherland’s posh Coronation Street wedding earlier this year, but it had already established its screen pedigree as the exclusive location for the series Cluedo, as Soames’ house in The Forsyte Saga and as a popular venue for commercial filming and photography.

The hall boasts a number of spacious, naturally lit staterooms, each with its own character, elaborate plasterwork, panelling and period furniture.

From the Emperor’s Room – once home to Napoleon III – through the oak-panelled library to the gallery with its stained glass windows and antique fireplace, the building offers pleasing and authentic backdrops.

The gardens are the result of careful planning and nurturing over the last 250 years by successive generations, and offer a blend of history and traditional design with inspired modern ideas and additions.

The result is rich in atmosphere, interest and vitality with eight acres of formal gardens including separate areas.

These include a well-established arboretum and woodland garden, and herbaceous borders that have been attracting compliments for decades.

There is also a nursery where visitors can buy plants they have seen and enjoyed at Arley to take home for their own gardens. Viscount Ashbrook’s sister, Jane Foster, owns and manages this area.

Youngsters will also enjoy a visit to Stockley Farm on the estate – an organic working farm with its dairy herd of 150 Friesian/Holstein cows, and baby animals for the children to handle and feed including newborn calves, piglets, goats, lambs, chicks and rabbits.

Not too surprisingly, Arley is also a top choice as a wedding venue, and it also has its own programme of events throughout the year.

This summer, it has already welcomed Jools Holland and his orchestra, a new mini-festival starring The Levellers with a strong supporting cast, and an outdoor production of Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing.

Coming up in August are several interesting events including a Gardens Open Day on August 3 which is part of the National Gardens Scheme, a Leonard Cheshire Disability Charity Concert with open-air firework concert with Abba and Queen tribute acts on August 24 and an adaptation of Tess of the D’Urbevilles in the Walled Garden on August 28.

For more information ring 01565 777353 or visit www.arleyhallandgardens.com.