Homes and Gardens / Gardening
Video: The secret garden of Goldney Hall
Hidden away in the heart of Clifton, behind huge stone walls, lies the secret garden of Goldney Hall.
Deep in the 11 acre garden is a glistening shell-lined grotto guarded by a river god and lions, the hall’s famous orangery was the location for the wedding of Dr Watson in Sherlock, and the garden offers an unparalleled view of Bristol’s skyline.
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The Goldney family first came to live in the property at the top of Constitution Hill in 1694, when Thomas Goldney II rented it. He later bought the site in 1705 before rebuilding the house and adding to the garden in the 1720s.
However, most of the garden today was created by his son Thomas Goldney III who enlarged the garden to 16 acres over 35 years.
Within the garden is an elaborate grotto which is one of the finest surviving examples of an 18th century garden grotto in Britain. The grotto itself was completed in 1764, 27 years after work began.
The walls and pillars are covered with a variety of rare minerals, shells, corals, rocks and fossils, some of which may have been brought back to Bristol by Captain Woodes Rogers.
The central chamber houses a life-size lion with a lioness sitting in a den behind. There’s even a river god overlooking the rock pool.
In 1760, the orangery was constructed to house an exotic collection of citrus trees which would have been brought to Bristol by merchant ships. The wisteria-covered building was used as the location for the wedding of Dr Watson in an episode of Sherlock which was broadcast in 2014.
The hall and gardens are now owned by the University of Bristol and are closed to the public.
However, guided tours of the garden start this weekend and visitors can explore the orangery, a heritage orchard, a statue of Hercules, the canal and tower, a rotunda and bastion and Corinthian columns.
Tours take place throughout the summer but must be booked in advance.
Goldney Garden tours take place on:
- Sunday, May 17, 10.30 am to midday
- Tuesday, June 16, 6.30pm to 8pm
- Sunday, July 19, 10.30am to midday
- Tuesday, August 11, 2pm to 3.30pm
- Sunday, August 23, 10.30am to midday