Grosvenor's Eaton Estate charity garden open day

Grosvenor’s Eaton Estate charity garden open days help to raise much needed funds for local charities by welcoming visitors to enjoy the gardens of Eaton Hall, home to the Duke of Westminster. Visiting Grosvenor’s Eaton Estate is also an opportunity to learn more about Grosvenor’s activities and how these strive to provide economic, social and environmental benefit to the local area.

This year’s beneficiary charities for 2025 are still to be confirmed, however the Three Villages Project, raising funds for community support in the three estate villages of Eccleston, Aldford and Saighton is being held on the 13th of July.

The event includes charity fundraising stalls in the Courtyard (cash only), a band playing in the garden and a children's entertainer. The hosting charity also organises activities for children which include garden trail, crafts and other activities.

Key information for visitors about the event

• Tickets are pre-book only. No tickets are available at the gates on the day. You will be required to show your tickets at the outer vehicular entry points and again at the pedestrian garden entry point.

• The gates open for parking from 10am and the event runs from 10.15am until 5pm. Last entry is 4pm.

• Access to the event is via the Belgrave, Aldford and Eccleston Gates. (Coaches via Belgrave Gate B5445 Wrexham Road CH4 9DJ only).

• There is free car parking. Car parking stewards will direct visitors, please follow their instructions. Please note that all parking is on grass.

• The Gardens and Courtyard will be open. Eaton Hall is a private home and is not open to the public.

• Toilet facilities are available at the Courtyard and additionally in the gardens near the pedestrian entry point.

• Blue badge holders should display these for the stewards on arrival at the outer gates so they can be directed to the correct parking area. Please note that accessible parking is on grass.

• Free hire of mobility equipment is subject to availability and must be pre-booked with your event tickets. If mobility equipment is fully booked, it will be necessary for visitors to bring their own equipment, if required. Accessible routes around the gardens are displayed in the programme, which is provided to visitors for free on arrival. Please see here for our full access statement.

• Mobility equipment can become available during the day, please visit the Dial West Cheshire stand at the entrance to the event if you require assistance.

• There are a number of water features in the gardens, children must be supervised at all times.

• Dogs are welcome but must be kept on a short lead and under close control. Please clean up after your dog. No dogs are permitted in the indoor Courtyard refreshment area except Assistance Dogs.

Refreshments

• Light refreshments will be available at the Courtyard and to purchase at various points from mobile vendors around the gardens.

• Picnics are welcome. You are welcome to bring rugs/seating. Please take your waste home or use the bins provided.

Refunds

• This is a charity event. Refunds will not be issued for any other reason unless the event has to be cancelled for unforeseen reasons by the organisers. Any refund will usually be paid using the same method you used to buy the tickets within 10 days following the date of the event.

About the gardens

There are records of the gardens of Eaton Hall being opened to the public for charity as early as 1845.

The gardens extend to 88 acres and have been developed over many years by prominent designers, most recently by Lady Arabella Lennox-Boyd. The gardens have a wide variety of planting, including four formal colour-themed rose gardens and grand colour-themed herbaceous borders. The hot border was re-planted in 2022 and there is a stunning bedding scheme in the Dragon Garden which is not to be missed. Visitors can also enjoy the walled Kitchen Garden, as well as the wildflower garden and the lake walk, where you can take in fabulous views of the Hall and grounds. Finally, the Dutch Tea House is filled with roses and herbs and sits perfectly at the end of a short walk past the lake area. The Camellia Walk is open however it is only in bloom in early spring.

Eaton Courtyard

The Eaton Hall Courtyard complex was created as part of a grand rebuilding scheme which began in 1870, commissioned by Hugh Lupus Grosvenor, then the third Marquess of Westminster (who later became the first Duke of Westminster in 1874). Architect Alfred Waterhouse – who went on to design Manchester Town Hall and the Natural History Museum in London – was brought in to completely transform the house into a Neo-Gothic palace. Under Waterhouse, the Hall was refurbished as well as new additions including the Courtyard buildings which were constructed adjacent to Eaton Hall to provide stabling for horses and accommodation for the staff involved in their care.

The ‘Waterhouse Hall’ was demolished in 1963 after the building fell into disrepair – having first being handed over to the war office in 1917 as a hospital and then to the Ministry of Defence in 1943, firstly as the Royal Naval College and then from 1946 to 1960 as an Officer Cadet Training School. Only the Chapel, its six storey (182 ft) clock tower – which can be seen for miles across the Cheshire plain – and the Courtyard remained.

At the Courtyard, visitors can take the opportunity to see Eaton Chapel, with its splendid stained-glass windows by Frederic James Shields, dating back to 1870, the carriage museum and former stables, as well as exhibitions on the Grosvenor family's history.

The Eaton railway

The Eaton railway was a historic narrow-gauge line built for the first Duke which connected the Hall to mainline services at nearby Balderton to transport deliveries and fuel. The original railway was removed in 1947 during the period when Eaton Hall was leased to the War Department. A circular route through the deer park was reinstated in 1996 and is a popular attraction at the garden open days.

Please note, tickets for the Eaton railway can only be purchased with an event ticket, are subject to availability and are pre-book only. No train tickets will be available for sale at the event. Dogs are not permitted on the train.

Future Garden Open Days

Charities wishing to apply to host a Grosvenor's Eaton Estate charity garden open day can apply via the Westminster Foundation, an independent grant making trust and registered charity representing the charitable interests of The Duke of Westminster and Grosvenor businesses, which provides long-term sustainable help to vulnerable young people, here

As with any public event, the organiser reserves the right to refuse admission in reasonable circumstances including for health and safety reasons, where a ticket is void, or where a person displays inappropriate or threatening behaviour. The organiser also reserves the right to request that persons leave the site at any point on reasonable grounds and may take any appropriate action to enforce this right. By way of example only the organiser may remove a ticket holder or person who:

· has behaved in a manner that, in the reasonable opinion of the organisers has, or is likely to affect the enjoyment of other visitors; or

· has behaved in a manner that, in the reasonable opinion of the organisers has, or is likely to cause damage to the garden, grounds or property; or

· uses inappropriate, threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour or in any way provokes or behaves in a manner which may provoke a breach of the peace; or

· in the reasonable opinion of the organisers is under the influence of drugs or has consumed an excessive amount of alcohol; or

· has deliberate disregard for the site’s conditions of access or restricted areas including the taking of professional photographs or the flying of drones; or

· creates excessive noise or disturbance or doesn’t adhere to the instructions and directions given by site staff

No refunds will be given to ticket holders who are refused entry or ejected due to their own behaviour as suggested in, but not limited to, the examples above.

Host or Publisher Eaton Estate