The Walled Garden Helen's Bay

The Walled Garden Helen's Bay 🌿Restoring a historic Victorian Walled Garden in Helen’s Bay. Please come and visit 🙏

Join us for heritage garden tours, seasonal food & drink experiences, creative workshops, intimate weddings and private events in a unique setting filled with history, charm and character.🌿 James and Lorraine Small bought their Grade B1 listed Walled Garden at the end of 2006 after a 60 year period of neglect and what they found was the bones 🦴of a wonderful Victorian "secret" kitchen garden🌳 overgrown with invasive pernicious weeds ; old stables and gardener's cottages as well as a rusted lean-to glasshouse...all oozing with potential ..leaving a magical ✨feeling of what had been before. This page highlights their restoration journey... it is their dream to restore the Walled Garden; Old Mill House and its once noteworthy garden 🌻🌼🌷 into a special place that they can share with the local and wider communities and with planning approval now granted.....that dream is closer than ever. The Walled Garden is not open to the public at the minute, however the garden is open for special private events; for garden tours, creative craft and health & wellbeing workshops; as well as the summer Saturday morning Farm Market. All profits 💰 from their endeavours are reinvested in the restoration project so everyone is helping to make a difference!

This morning we opened our gates for European Heritage Open Day, giving the public access to The Walled Garden, somethin...
12/09/2026

This morning we opened our gates for European Heritage Open Day, giving the public access to The Walled Garden, something we don’t normally do.

The garden has been private for generations, so it feels quite special to let people wander in, join a garden tour, discover its history and see the restoration for themselves.

It’s hard to believe that we first opened for EHOD way back in 2022, when the garden was a very different place. There has been a lot of work, and a few ups and downs, since then. There is still a long way to go, but today gave us a chance to pause and appreciate just how far we’ve come.🙏🏻

And perhaps the loveliest part is seeing familiar faces return year after year. Visitors who first came in 2022, have returned for workshops and events, followed our journey here on Facebook and now bring family and friends to share their experience of The Walled Garden.

Because this isn’t simply about restoring an old garden. It’s about bringing it back into use, sharing its history, and, more importantly, giving it a future.

Thank you to everyone who came through the gates today, whether you were discovering us for the first time or have been following the journey from the beginning. It’s lovely to think that so many of you are now part of its story too. ❤️

Big thanks to Joe, Maria, Imogen and Tricia for making it such a success👏🏻

Ards and North Down Borough Council European Heritage Open Day Garden Tour at the Walled Garden Heritage

European Heritage Open Day Tomorrow, Saturday 12 September 🌿10am - 1pmWe’ll be opening the gates of The Walled Garden to...
11/09/2026

European Heritage Open Day
Tomorrow, Saturday 12 September 🌿
10am - 1pm

We’ll be opening the gates of The Walled Garden tomorrow as part of European Heritage Open Day...so come along and explore the garden at your own pace and have a look at some of the restoration work that has been taking place..

Entry is free, and we’ll have tea, coffee and some homemade treats available, with proceeds going towards the ongoing upkeep and restoration of the garden.☕🍰

We’d love to meet you. 🌿

Communities NI Visit Ards and North Down Tourism Northern Ireland European Heritage Open Day Garden Tour at the Walled Garden Love Heritage NI Heritage Museums & Gardens

They may have left temperatures of 35C in New York ..but the grey clouds and mizzle in Helen's Bay were fully embraced b...
11/09/2026

They may have left temperatures of 35C in New York ..but the grey clouds and mizzle in Helen's Bay were fully embraced by our American Backroads visitors on Thursday!! 🌎

Nothing would deter this groups enjoyment of their visit ....they loved their hike in the rain along the coastal path🌧️, lunch in the Glasshouse..especially the homemade fudge ice cream 🍨and the cottages also..so much so that they might even revisit

A special mention to Callum, Laura and Alex, who led the tour with such fun, energy and enthusiasm. They are a fantastic young team, and it was a real pleasure to see them taking such great care of our guests.

Next Thursday is the last Backroads tour of the year🥲 ..and while I’m heading off to a gardening symposium, I’m leaving them in the very capable hands of Imogen, Tricia and Joe. Yes… I’m learning to delegate at last. 😂

I'll really miss my Thursdays though....

Backroads Visit Ards and North Down Tourism Ireland Tourism Northern Ireland Discover Northern Ireland

Things got unusually competitive in the Walled Garden yesterday! 🌿When we welcomed 48 SERC students, tutors and staff fr...
10/09/2026

Things got unusually competitive in the Walled Garden yesterday! 🌿When we welcomed 48 SERC students, tutors and staff from across County Down as part of SAVOUR, a heritage and food-based reconciliation programme exploring identity through living history, storytelling and food traditions.

They spent the morning exploring the garden and learning about its history, local seasonal growing, food heritage, sustainability and biodiversity.

Then came the Walled Garden Challenge quiz, with 10 teams and a bag of gold coins up for grabs. 🪙 ..we couldn’t quite stretch to a gold cup🏆.. but the competition remained serious regardless..although ome of the team names were more suitable for public knowledge than others!!😂

It was great fun, with plenty of energy, good humour and some surprisingly fierce competition... a great way to start the new academic year

A huge thank you to Paul Barr, Elizabeth Major, Brian Magill and Clare Gillen from SERC for accompanying the students and making it such an enjoyable morning.

And next week, we plan to do it all again! 🪙🌿

SERC EventWise NI SERC Hospitality and Culinary Arts

10/09/2026

Really looking forward to sharing our cultural heritage and celebrating the story of Irish linen at From Flax to Fine Linen in the Walled Garden. 🌿

From flax in the field to the skill, craftsmanship and beautiful linen it became, it’s a story deeply woven into the heritage of this part of Northern Ireland.

We’re delighted that the Ards and North Down Tourism team are helping to facilitate this beautiful experience 💙💙💙
Ireland US Experience Experience Northern Ireland Discover Northern IrelandTourism Ireland Tourism Northern Ireland Green Tourism Sustainable Living

🌿🎨 Imagine spending a day in the Walled Garden, surrounded by flowers and foliage in the quiet beauty of early autumn, w...
09/09/2026

🌿🎨 Imagine spending a day in the Walled Garden, surrounded by flowers and foliage in the quiet beauty of early autumn, with time to slow down, look closely at nature and paint something of your own.

Join us for one of our Botanical Watercolour Illustration Workshops, guided by talented local artist Alison Walker, a member of the Irish Society of Botanical Artists.

Together, you’ll discover how to really look at the natural world around you and capture the delicate details, structure and character of flowers, foliage and seed heads using pencil and watercolour.✏️🖌️

Throughout the day, Alison will guide you through careful observation, drawing techniques and watercolour application, helping you create your own beautiful botanical study inspired by the garden.

Whether you're picking up a paintbrush for the first time or looking to develop your skills, you'll be supported every step of the way.

Two dates are available:

📅 Saturday 19 September 2026
10.30am–4pm
ONE SPACE LEFT

📅 Saturday 7 November 2026
10.30am–4pm
5 SPACES LEFT

£100 per person, including:

☕ Morning coffee and homemade treats
🥗 Delicious homemade lunch
🎨 All materials provided
🖌️ Expert tuition from Alison
🌿 Time to explore and sketch in the garden
🍰 Afternoon refreshments

Suitable for beginners and more experienced painters. Come on your own or bring a friend.

🎟️ Book your place see comments below

Visit Ards and North Down Tourism Ireland Visit Belfast Irish Society of Botanical Artists Arts Council of Northern Ireland

Meet Robert… the newest member of The Walled Garden team! 🌿Robert has settled in remarkably well and has already made hi...
09/09/2026

Meet Robert… the newest member of The Walled Garden team! 🌿

Robert has settled in remarkably well and has already made himself very much at home. He’s incredibly tame, follows everyone around the garden and seems to think supervising everyone’s work is very much part of his job!

Our visitors absolutely love him, and he’s always happy to hop out and say hello.
In fact, he might even make an appearance to welcome our European Heritage Open Days visitors this Saturday morning! 🙏🏻

Whether you’ve managed to secure a place on the Garden Tour, or you’re simply coming along to enjoy a walk through the garden between 10am and 1pm, keep an eye out for Robert..usually near the nasturtiums...He’s sure to give you a very warm welcome! 💚🌿

RSPB RSPB Northern Ireland European Heritage Open Day Garden Tour at the Walled Garden

From a tiny blue flower in the field to one of Northern Ireland's most famous fabrics... yesterday we had the pleasure o...
08/09/2026

From a tiny blue flower in the field to one of Northern Ireland's most famous fabrics... yesterday we had the pleasure of sharing this remarkable story with Arezu Weitholz, a journalist and author from the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ) one of Germany's leading newspapers. who visited The Walled Garden as part of her Tourism Northern Ireland journey exploring “The Fabrics of Ireland”.🌿

Thankfully, the rain held off as we stepped into the field and travelled back to a time when flax was part of everyday life. For us, the story of linen is about more than the great merchants of Linenopolis, such as Thomas Workman. It is also about the families who worked the fields and the communities built around the industry.🧑🏻‍🌾👩🏻‍🌾 Over a cup 'a tae, warm soda and potato bread, freshly churned butter and homemade jam, we brought a little of that story to life.☕

At Old Mill House, Christine Casey demonstrated spinning on an original Irish spinning wheel, before we finished in the Glasshouse with Afternoon Tea served on fine vintage bone china and beautiful Ulster linen.🧵🪡
We cannot wait to read Arezu's articles! 💙

🌿 Would you like to experience the "From Flax to Fine Linen " the story for yourself?
on
📅 Sunday 27 September
⏱️ 10am to 1pm
💳 £75 per person see comment to book

Places are limited, so come and become part of the story.

Discover Northern Ireland Discover Northern Ireland History Discover Ireland Visit Ards and North Down Kiri Cottage Crafts FAZ.NET - Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung

Today we welcomed a lovely group of willow 'sculptors' to The Walled Garden for our Willow Hare Workshop with the ever-p...
07/09/2026

Today we welcomed a lovely group of willow 'sculptors' to The Walled Garden for our Willow Hare Workshop with the ever-patient Heather McDermott. 🐇🌿

The hare is one of our more challenging willow sculptures, with lots of new techniques to master, but everyone quickly got the hang of it and what a fantastic collection of hares they created!

Good food, good company, plenty of chat and lots of mindfulness… and by the end of the day we released a whole husk of hares into the local countryside! 🐇🐇🐇 We can't wait to see where they find their new homes. 💚

If the willow hares have inspired you to have a go at willow weaving, our Swallows & Swifts Workshop is a much gentler introduction and perfect for beginners. 🌿🐦

A lovely day to learn some basic willow techniques and create your own little flock to take home.

📅Sunday 13 September
⏱️10am-4pm
💳£85pp see link in comments to book

Visit Belfast Visit Ards and North Down Discover Northern Ireland Discover Ireland Heather Mcdermott Willow Craft Crafts of Ireland CRAFT NI Gallery

Address

47 Craigdarragh Road
Helen's Bay
BT191UB

Telephone

+447704456109

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