The Walled Garden Helen's Bay

The Walled Garden Helen's Bay Breathing new life into a Victorian Walled Garden — where heritage meets creativity. Please come and visit 🙏

Explore garden tours, seasonal food & drink experiences, hands-on workshops, and private events in a beautifully restored historic setting full of 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!

🧚‍♀️ A flutter of fairies certainly took flight over Helen's Bay this afternoon at the end of today's Willow Fairy Works...
31/05/2026

🧚‍♀️ A flutter of fairies certainly took flight over Helen's Bay this afternoon at the end of today's Willow Fairy Workshop, all ready to find homes in summer containers and flowerbeds, bringing smiles to those who pass by. 🌿✨

Filled with creativity, laughter, friendship and delicious food, our wonderful group spent the day under the expert tuition of willow sculptor Heather McDermott, bringing their willow fairies to life.

Workshops like these are about slowing down, connecting with others, sharing stories, learning new skills and enjoying good food and company. Today was all of that and more, as you can see from the beautiful creations that emerged by the end of the day. It was a delightful day, filled with friendship, creativity and plenty of willow magic. ✨🌼

If you missed out, our next workshop is the ever-popular Willow Daisies Workshop on Sunday 14 June, from 10am to 4pm. Perfect for complete beginners and more experienced weavers alike, you'll create two beautiful sculptural daisy flowers to nestle amongst pots, borders and shrubs, adding height, interest and a touch of whimsy to your summer garden.

Join us and create something truly unique for your garden. 🌼💚

Visit Ards and North Down Visit Belfast Discover Northern Ireland Discover Ireland Tourism Northern Ireland Tourism Ireland The City of Bangor, its past, present and future. Heather Mcdermott Willow Craft

The sun shone for our wonderful group of American visitors from Backroads an award-winning travel company on Thursday, a...
30/05/2026

The sun shone for our wonderful group of American visitors from Backroads an award-winning travel company on Thursday, and what a week they chose to visit Northern Ireland! ☀️🌿

This is their second year bringing visitors to our wee corner of Northern Ireland and we are delighted to welcome them back.🤗

After their coastal path trek, our visitors enjoyed lunch in the Glass House, with plenty of chat and time to relax. They loved the homemade treacle wheaten bread .. my granny must have been smiling down... along with homemade fudge ice cream, created using extra fudge left over from this year's Blas na hÉireann awards submission. Yes, we're entering again, so fingers crossed! 🤞🍦

The group then explored the heritage, horticulture and stories of both Old Mill House and the Walled Garden...from fruit and vegetables to wildlife, pollinators and traditional gardening methods, there was so much to talk about along the way.

We will be welcoming many more Backroads groups between now and the end of September..so if you see them walking along the road be sure and give them a wave!!👋🏻

I can't promise warm weather , but there'll always be a warm Northern Irish welcome waiting in the Walled Garden. 💜🌿

Tourism Ireland Tourism Northern Ireland Discover Ireland Discover Northern Ireland Visit Ards and North Down The City of Bangor, its past, present and future. Backroads

🐝 As part of our plans to move the apiary to a quieter corner of the garden, I decided to give two of our older empty hi...
29/05/2026

🐝 As part of our plans to move the apiary to a quieter corner of the garden, I decided to give two of our older empty hives a little TLC, with plans to sand them down and repaint them with new stencil details ready for the big move 🖌️🎨

The hives were moved to the archway and before I had even lifted a scrubbing brush, never mind a paintbrush, a swarm of black bees arrived and decided to take up residence 🐝✨😉

So it seems a little old brown comb and an unfinished paint job was all the invitation the bees needed 💜 Personally, I would at least have waited until the decorating was finished before moving in 🐝✨

Now I’m faced with a new dilemma 🐝🎨 Do I disturb my unexpected new tenants to finish the makeover… or take this as the perfect excuse for another week of procrastination? 😉

The Babylon Bee Irish Bee Conservation Project Native Irish Honey Bee Society Ulster Beekeepers Association BBKA - The British Beekeepers Association Visit Ards and North Down

This is the Boss’s favourite corner of the garden… 🌿🐝I wonder why???You'll often find him here at 11am with his gloves d...
27/05/2026

This is the Boss’s favourite corner of the garden… 🌿🐝I wonder why???

You'll often find him here at 11am with his gloves down, tea poured, and whatever happens to be lurking in the kitchen. Today it was a leftover scone, served in a Christmas bowl, in the middle of May 🎄☕
Sure it always feels a little bit festive in the Walled Garden 💜✨

Where’s your favourite spot in the garden to escape with a cuppa? ☕👇

Tourism Northern Ireland Tourism Ireland Visit Ards and North Down The City of Bangor, its past, present and future.

With sunshine and longer days, now is the perfect time to enjoy the garden at its best. There is something quite lovely ...
26/05/2026

With sunshine and longer days, now is the perfect time to enjoy the garden at its best. There is something quite lovely about seeing your own sculptural willow set amongst planting in full summer growth.

Join us for a full day of creativity and calm with Weave Willow Flower Sculptures at The Walled Garden Helens Bay on Sunday 14th June 2026 10am - 4pm

This beautiful sculptural workshop is perfect for complete beginners as well as those with more experience. You will be guided step by step by Heather, our wonderful tutor, as you learn how to shape and weave your own willow flowers that look stunning in beds, borders, or containers.

Set within the heritage setting of Old Mill House... the day is as much about the experience as the making. Expect a relaxed pace, great company, and plenty of inspiration along the way. We will keep you fuelled with good food and refreshments throughout, making it a truly restorative creative escape.

Come and spend the day immersed in nature, craft, and community, and leave with your own lasting willow sculpture to take pride of place in your garden.

See link below

Visit Ards and North Down Visit Belfast Discover Northern Ireland Discover Ireland Tourism Ireland
Tourism Northern Ireland North Down Craft Collective Heather Mcdermott Willow Craft

Yesterday’s Botanical Screen Printing on Clay workshop with the wonderfully talented Donna Bloye was a truly creative an...
25/05/2026

Yesterday’s Botanical Screen Printing on Clay workshop with the wonderfully talented Donna Bloye was a truly creative and inspiring day 🌿

Set within the beautiful surroundings of Old Mill House, participants spent the day immersed in botanical pattern, texture and creativity, while also enjoying delicious homemade food and good company around the table. It was exactly the sort of relaxed, welcoming atmosphere we love to create here, where people can slow down, learn something new and leave totally inspired.

Surrounded by layered textures, botanical motifs and plenty of experimentation, everyone created beautifully individual pieces using screen printing techniques on clay. Every piece was completely unique, full of character and a wonderful reflection of each participant’s creativity 🌿

All creations have now been safely transported back to Donna’s studio, and that was certainly no mean feat! 😂🚘 where they are currently drying and awaiting firing and glazing. Even at this stage, the results are already looking incredibly exciting and we cannot wait to see the finished pieces in due course.

A huge thank you to Donna for such a thoughtful and inspiring workshop, and to everyone who joined us and embraced the process so enthusiastically 🌿✨

Visit Ards and North Down Visit Belfast Discover Northern Ireland Tourism Ireland Tourism Northern Ireland The City of Bangor, its past, present and future. Holywood, Past, Present and Future

There is something rather rewarding about creating a willow fairy for your garden 🌿✨These sustainable structural garden...
25/05/2026

There is something rather rewarding about creating a willow fairy for your garden 🌿✨

These sustainable structural garden figures bring character and quiet charm to every corner... so much so that visitors constantly stop to admire the one I've nestled in one of my borders. Beautiful through every season, they add height and a touch of magic among the flowers and foliage.

This Sunday, why not join Heather and I for a full day willow workshop to create your own beautiful sculptural garden fairy using sustainably grown willow and traditional weaving techniques.

Set within the peaceful heritage surroundings of Old Mil House, this workshop is designed to give you the chance to properly slow down, spend time creating with your hands and enjoy the simple pleasure of making something beautiful and lasting.

The day also includes delicious homemade food, good company and plenty of encouragement along the way, whether you are completely new to willow weaving or already creative at heart.

A lovely way to spend a Sunday and go home with a truly unique piece for your garden 🌿

A few spaces still remain. See link below

Visit Ards and North Down Visit Belfast Discover Northern Ireland Discover Ireland Tourism Ireland
Tourism Northern Ireland North Down Craft Collective Heather Mcdermott Willow Craft

So I left the garden for a few days to go to the Chelsea Flower Show and returned to all sorts of shenanigans… 👀🙄I initi...
25/05/2026

So I left the garden for a few days to go to the Chelsea Flower Show and returned to all sorts of shenanigans… 👀🙄

I initially spotted the telltale munch marks on my beautiful Martagon lilies, originally planted by Margaret Garner way back in the day, and then discovered these two and their little bystander beetle buddy happily enjoying a fine lily banquet and all other imaginables!!!🌿❤️🐞

Seriously though folks… keep an eye out for these bright red lily beetles. Both the adults and their rather revolting larvae can cause absolute havoc on lilies and fritillaries, stripping leaves, buds and flowers in no time at all if left unchecked.

Safe to say these ones won’t be getting a return invitation to The Walled Garden 😏

Irish Garden Plant Society The City of Bangor, its past, present and future. Garden.ie & The Irish Garden magazine Irish Gardens RHSI - Royal Horticultural Society of Ireland

Address

47 Craigdarragh Road
Helen's Bay
BT191UB

Telephone

+447704456109

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