The North West's new garden
The Royal Horticultural Society has unveiled new plans to create a 156 acre garden in the heart of the North West, the Society’s first new garden in 17 years.
RHS Garden Bridgewater will be the largest gardening project in Europe, opening in the historic grounds of Worsley New Hall in Salford from spring 2020, with sneak peek events in early 2019 to see the project starting to come to life.
Sessions will run on weekdays and are limited to ten people per day, with tickets costing £5 — visit rhs.org.uk/gardens/bridgewater/tours for more information.
It’s one of a string of major projects beginning this year in Greater Manchester, including the opening of new arts centre The Factory, which intends to attract 850,000 people a year from 2021. Designed to host everything from exhibitions and concerts to immersive experiences and more intimate performances, the new landmark has been designed by Rem Koolhaas’ Office for Metropolitan Architecture (OMA).
Manchester itself will also see the return of its International Festival this summer, plus the expansion of the Manchester Jewish Museum in 2020, plus the Science and Industry Museum and Manchester Museum.
Wiltshire's koalas
Visitors to Longleat can discover the safari park’s newest inhabitants this Spring, with the new Koala Creek area opening to the public on March 29.
Home to a small group of southern koalas from Cleland Wildlife Park in Adelaide, they’ll join over 500 animals in the 9,000-acre estate — including two hairy-nosed wombats.
Longleat will act as a European hub for the new International Koala Centre of Excellence, based in Cleland, which works towards koala conservation.
Get outdoors for March
As Spring finally looms, there are some added incentives to get outdoors this March.
England’s ‘finest woodland gardens’ are reopening in West Sussex after an 18-month closure, for a massive restoration of the 200-acre estate at Leonardslee Lakes & Gardens at Horsham.
The landscaped Grade I listed gardens were first planted in 1801, with bluebells, magnolias and camellias on display, while visitors can also see a colony of wallabies and the 19th century Italianate Mansion House with its dolls’ house exhibition.
Or head to Norfolk for a new stargazing kayak adventure with Norfolk Outdoor Adventures. The guided tours run once a month from March to October, priced £45 per person, in two-seater kayaks from Hickling Broad through the Norfolk Broads to see the stars far from light pollution.
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