Greater Manchester’s ‘lost’ garden rediscovered, which is a ‘hidden gem’

Platt Fields Park is more commonly associated with college students gathering for picnics and barbecues than hidden horticultural gems. However, hidden in a corner of the park is a rare garden, one of the few in the country.

Until recently, the Shakespeare Garden, which is just off Wilmslow Road, was left to grow wild and untamed, having been neglected for years. However, as of 2021, restoration work has been underway by a group of volunteers to restore it to its former glory.

A Shakespearean garden is one that contains some or all of the 175 plants named in the famous playwright’s works and were mostly created in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Manchester’s was created in 1916 by Rosa Grindon, a Shakespearean lecturer, suffragist and keen botanist; and officially opened in 1922.

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Many Shakespearean gardens have been lost to the mists of time and only a handful remain in the country, making this corner of Platt Fields Park a truly special place. Kattie Kincaid led the restoration work and wants to shine a light on this rare “hidden gem”.

She worked alongside a group of volunteers to inject life back into the garden. Kattie told the Manchester Evening News: “When I first visited the garden it was full of weeds and needed a lot. It seemed such a shame to lose this piece of our heritage, so I started growing it in the garden.”

Assembling a team of volunteers, they steadily transformed “Shakey,” as he is affectionately known. Although still a “work in progress”, many of the features have been restored, while new ones have been added, including a “human sundial”. There have been some challenges, such as box blight which has damaged the hedges, but Kattie is determined to make sure Shakey will be around for generations to come.

She added: “It’s a wonderful place to visit and very special because it’s a sunken garden, it feels like you’re walking into an auditorium – we’re actually looking at creating a performance space and we’ve had a group of actors. for the centenary of the garden.

“It’s a hidden gem that a lot of people don’t know about, although we’ve had lots of older visitors come in and say they remember visiting when they were younger. It’s a really important part of our heritage and it’s vital that we preserve it.”

Although the garden is free to visit, the National Garden Scheme will be hosting an open day there on July 6 and 7, with refreshments, plant stalls and more available. Tickets are £5 and funds raised will go back into the garden.

Kattie added: “It’s a little gem on people’s doorsteps. We have no regular funding and the team of volunteers work hard to maintain the garden. The open house will be a chance to celebrate Shakey, and if the weather is nice, he’ll also put up some living rooms in Rosa’s honor.”

For more details visit the National Garden Scheme website here.

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