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Norfolk Open Gardens

Enjoy beautiful gardens and raise money for St John Ambulance.

The Norfolk Open Gardens scheme invites members of the public and St John supporters to explore a wonderful selection of gardens across the county, while helping to raise vital funds for St John Ambulance.

The scheme has been running in Norfolk for over 30 years, beginning in 1996 with 19 gardens opening their gates. In the past decade alone, Open Gardens have raised around £110,000 to support St John Ambulance’s work in the county. We’re delighted that some of the original gardens are still welcoming visitors today.

Thanks to the generosity of garden owners, hundreds of visitors enjoy these beautiful spaces each year. Open Gardens would not be possible without the dedication of our Norfolk Fellowship members, who provide refreshments, and our St John volunteers, who welcome visitors, manage parking, provide first aid cover and help with tidying up afterwards.

All funds raised support St John Ambulance volunteers in Norfolk. Over the years, this funding has helped provide essential equipment including bicycles for the Cycle Responder Unit, a transport trailer, radios, and more recently, support for local Networks. We look forward to welcoming you to one or more gardens during this year’s programme.

For more details please contact Georgina Holloway, Network President, georgina.holloway@sja.org.uk.

2026 Open Garden Dates

  • Elmham House and Silverstone Farm, Sunday 10 May, 12-5pm

    North Elmham, Dereham, NR20 5JY and NR20 5EX.
    What3words: //provider.returms.twinkling and unsigned.attract.muffin

    An opportunity to explore two strikingly different gardens just a couple of miles apart. Elmham House is set in parkland, with azaleas, rhododendrons and fine specimen trees, alongside an 18th‑century walled garden featuring heritage apple varieties, other fruit and vegetables. Terraces and lawns surround the house, and visitors will also be able to see the icehouse, dovecote and former venison larder, now a chapel on the Walsingham Pilgrimage route.

    Silverstone Farm offers a dramatic contrast. Created by designer and author George Carter, the garden is inspired by 17th‑century Dutch and English styles, using plants of the period. Mostly green and wonderfully tranquil, it features lawns, hedges, a pool and fountains, creating a peaceful yet theatrical atmosphere.

    Adults: £10 (both gardens) | Children: Free
    Dogs on leads welcome
    Homemade refreshments at Elmham House

    The stunning trees and flowers of Elmham House.

  • Besthorpe Hall, Sunday 17 May, 12-5pm

    Besthorpe Hall, Attleborough, NR17 2LJ.
    What3words: ///stubborn.worth.deleting

    The gardens surround Besthorpe Hall, the remaining part of a much larger 16th‑century brick building. Two main garden areas are enclosed by historic Tudor brick walls with decorative gateways. Visitors arrive via a tree‑lined drive, opening out onto extensive lawns, clipped yew trees, mixed borders and generous rose planting, with a modern water feature in the forecourt adding a contemporary touch.

    Adults: £6 | Children: free  
    Dogs on leads welcome  
    Homemade refreshments

    a beautiful Wisteria above a fountain of Besthorpe Hall.

  • Hoe Hall, Sunday 31 May, 12-5pm

    Hall Road, Hoe, Dereham, NR20 4BD.
    What3words: //civil.chap.trespass

    A delightful walled garden featuring a striking white wisteria walk running the length of mixed borders filled with climbers, herbaceous planting and box parterres. Hoe Hall sits beside St Andrew’s Church in this small village setting, with additional areas of planting and attractive views across the surrounding parkland.

    Adults: £6 | Children: Free
    Guide dogs only
    Homemade refreshments

    A beautiful example of the white Wisteria at Hoe Hall.

  • Elsing Hall, Sunday 6 June, 12-5pm

    Hall Road, Elsing, Norfolk, NR20 3DX.
    What3words: //other.music.unafraid

    The hall is a moated manor house built around 1470, set within a small parkland dotted with fine specimen trees. Remarkably, it was home to the same family for nearly 500 years. The 20‑acre garden was established almost 50 years ago and continues to evolve, with highlights including a unique ginkgo tree avenue, a pinetum, walled and formal gardens, and generous planting around the lake, complete with a viewing mound at one end. In June, the garden is especially memorable for its display of scented old English roses. A peaceful and beautiful setting, it is often described as one of East Anglia’s hidden treasures.

    Adults: £8 | Children: Free
    Guide dogs only
    Homemade refreshments

    A pond at Elsing Hall, surround by some of the beautiful plants that accompany the manor house.

  • The Bishop's House, Sunday 12 July, 1–4.30pm (last entry 4pm)

    The Bishop’s House, Norwich, NR3 1SB.
    What3words: //terms.diary.path

    The oldest private garden in Norwich is full of delights, from dramatic double borders backed by cloud‑pruned yew to a productive kitchen garden and a rose and hosta walk. A wildflower labyrinth sits at the heart of the garden, centred around a 400‑year‑old pear tree, while a jungle walk leads visitors through towering exotic plants. The Bishop of Norwich’s historic garden is managed organically and includes many rare and unusual species, including a herb grown from a sprig taken from Queen Victoria’s wedding bouquet. This ancient garden continues to evolve and surprise year after year.

    Adults: £5
    Accompanied under‑16s and wheelchair users: Free
    Assistant dogs only
    Homemade refreshments and large plant sales area

  • Severals Grange, Sunday 6 September, 12-5pm

    Holt Road, Wood Norton, Norfolk, NR20 5BL.
    Whata3words: //hedge.segments.diplomas

    The garden is home to the well‑known former nursery Hoecroft Plants, and many of the unusual grasses and foliage plants they specialised in still feature throughout the space. Developed from bare fields over the past 30 years, the two‑acre garden offers a rich variety of conditions, from full sun to deep shade, wet pond areas to dry gravel, all shaped by the presence of wildlife. Planting includes alpines, perennials, hostas and shrubs. More recently created formal borders provide a striking contrast to the bold, block planting that brings colour and interest throughout the summer and early autumn.

    Adults: £6 | Children: Free
    Dogs on leads welcome
    Homemade refreshments and plant sales