Tea, Tours and Traditional Skills: Poulton Hall Open Gardens 2025

Looking through the meadow towards Poulton Hall

The Lancelyn-Greens hosted an open garden event at Poulton Hall Walled Garden and parkland as a fundraiser for Wirral Wildlife and New Ferry Butterfly Park. Poulton Hall lies secluded by woods just above the 'Dibbinsdale Dip' on Poulton Road which connects Spital Crossroads and Bromborough. Many people pass the hall in their cars, but few get a chance to visit -  however when they do, they are delighted to find such an enchanting area on their doorstep.

Meadow Tour at Poulton Hall Gardens

Celebrating National Meadows Day, the first Saturday of July, Dr Hilary Ash gave two meadow tours with the first one having the largest number of participants to date. The tour was a great chance to celebrate meadows and increase awareness about the vital role meadows play in supporting biodiversity, providing habitats for wildlife and enhancing the landscape. Hilary is a keen grass champion and is good at encouraging others to gain an interest in the 12 different grass species present. As well as the interesting flora there were a respectable number of meadow brown butterflies fluttering around the meadow. Marsh Orchids were popular, and there was a good population of Yellow Rattle, which weakens the grasses and allows more wildflowers to thrive.

The Wirral Countryside Volunteers area with a woven hurdle demonstration

Wirral Countryside Volunteers (WCV), who were set up in the parkland under the shade of the large oak, had a mock-up hedge to have a go at hedge laying. This gained a few participants and acted as a window shop for WCV, as a Willaston landowner was interested in getting the WCV to lay his hedge. The WCV will follow up and investigate this lead. There were tool sharpening demonstrations where most the of tool edges were so highly polished, they were like mirrors. Also a newspaper pot making and seed sowing seed activity. There was a display about the coppicing the volunteers conduct in Thornton Wood which is part of the Poulton Hall Estate. New this year was 'have a go at making a woven hurdle'. This hurdle was a small one, but the WCV realised a miniature one would be an even better activity for youngsters. It could be put on a table, would be easily to complete and make a take-home souvenir of the day.

The mock hedge

There was a taster archery session laid on by Wirral Archers; their coaches were good and coached complete novices until they could shoot arrows to hit the golden area in the centre of the target. Butterfly related crafts for children raised awareness of New Ferry Butterfly Park and Wirral Wildlife. It was possible to learn about honeybees, local archaeology, buy some plants sold to support the Samaritans, listen to stories, be greeted by a witch and just enjoy the main feature, the enchanting gardens followed by a cream tea. It is very much a personal and family garden - charming, quirky, full of humour and literary associations. It is a memorial to Roger Lancelyn-Green, the biographer and writer of children’s fiction.

Anyone for a cream tea?

Two volunteers were going round with a tea pot to bring tea and cake for the volunteers on stalls and parking duties, but guests hailed us for a top up of tea - not really our job, but as we had the means to hand, we were happy to oblige!

Thanks to Caroline and Scirard Lancelyn-Green, the Poulton Hall Estate Team and the twenty-two volunteers who supported this event on the day, those who worked behind the scenes transporting gazebos and woody materials, baking cakes for the volunteers and those who came tidying up on the Monday.


Paul Loughnane

(Photographs by Paul Loughnane and Ben Hart)