The 25 acres of gardens at Newby Hall near Ripon in North Yorkshire are on a grand scale with highlights in every season.
The garden, in its current form, was laid out in the 20th century by the grandfather of the current owner, Richard Compton. The family have owned the Hall since 1748. Among the star attractions in the summer and early autumn are the magnificent double herbaceous borders, which are some of the longest in Europe. The lawn between them leads down to the River Ure and forms the axis from which garden paths lead to the many other gardens. www.newbyhall.com
Dear Enduring Gardener,
I am trying to find out information about my step-grandfather, Mr Valentine (first name unknown) who I believed worked as a gardener at Newby Hall sometime between 1930 and 1960. His widow, Betsy Valentine, was given use of a bungalow in Skelton-on-Ure when he died and she lived there until her death in 1998. Do you have any ideas as to where the records of previous gardeners on the estate would be kept?
With thanks for any help you can offer,
Lynne Bulmer
Hello Lynne,
We passed your enquiry onto Kate at Newby Hall who has come back with the following response :
Your enquiry has caused a fair bit of head scratching, but no results so far. We have asked among the longer-standing staff, but the name Valentine didn’t ring any bells. The best place to look would be the West Yorkshire Archives – http://www.archives.wyjs.org.uk as we don’t hold much in the way of staff records here.
I’m so sorry I can’t be of more help, but wish you all the best in your search.
Hope this helps.