If you look the right way, you can see that the whole world is a garden – Frances Hodgson Burnett – The Secret Garden.
The Secret Garden
For my next venture, I selected Walkden Gardens, another nature-themed entry from the list. The weather was still nice, so I wanted to take advantage of this rarity and tick off the outdoorsy ones from the list before I got around to the museums and such in the colder months. (Most of the rest of the year, FU Manchester).
As I’m writing this, I have done approximately seventy items from the list. (I really wish I had started the blog earlier) And this one still stands out as one of my favourites on the list. When I visited this one, I thought that, even if I end up despising every other place that I visit after this one, I would still be grateful to the book for presenting me with the opportunity to visit a wonderful place that I most likely never would have visited without this challenge. Partly because of the location. Never had much reason before this to visit Sale, and it is a bit further out.
The place is named after Harry Walkden, who reportedly lived in a home nearby, which you can see today. (Friends of Walkden Gardens. Undated).
The book opens with a quote, “A Garden of Many Rooms” (Treuherz, J. and Figueredo, P. 2024). Which is a perfect description of Walkden (and a quote I copied onto my Instagram post). The garden is made up of small, individual gardens. When I visited, there were a couple of families there, but it was still easy to find a spot and have a relatively uninterrupted reading session in one of the gardens, whilst the other visitors were out of sight and earshot in one of the further away “rooms”. It was not busy when I went, mind you. Not sure how busy this place gets, but this was the peak of summer, I can’t imagine it getting too packed. I imagine this is due to the location and its relative obscurity. It is not a place I had heard anything of before doing this challenge, anyway.
The Rooms
According to the website, the gardens are open in winter from 9.00 – 16.00 in the winter and 19:30 in the summer. The caveat being that this changes when there are theatrical events. (Friends of Walkden Gardens, Undated). I beg your pardon. Theatrical events? This is news to me! Not even a mention in the book. I wonder if this is also news to Julian and Peter. I do often wonder if they have visited all the places in the book…
Delving into the website further, the “Theatre Lawn” has been used as a performance space since 2001 and has an auditorium, raised mound & baffle hedge, and has had concerts and plays like Macbeth & the Mad Hatter’s Tea party. It sounds wonderful and something I plan on looking into when the summer comes back around.
I did go into each garden on my visit, but the fact that it was a “theatre lawn” obviously didn’t click in my mind.
The 111 book gives most praise to the Japanese-style garden. (Treuherz, J and Figueiredo, P. 2024). It is a lovely garden, and I did spend some time in this one. I have never been in a real Japanese garden (one day, hopefully), but I feel like it does a good job of creating a realistic Japanese feel.
Also mentioned on the site is that there are no toilet facilities or refreshments. Chorlton Water Park wins a point against Walkden on this one. I do think Walkden is a more unique destination. Literary in a sense. It does not feel like Manchester, which I think would appeal to some. (Not me, I am a fan).
I spent most of my time in the Dovecote garden, which is near the entrance. After traversing each garden, stopping in each to take in the scenery and different features each one had, and then reading for a bit in each one, I finished back at the front. There was a stone bench that felt like something out of a fantasy movie and you have the cute, circular building, which also feels like something out of a storybook. So, I finished my time in Walkden Garden, reading a book on the bench for a couple of hours. Occasionally, people would walk through, but they would mostly go into the other gardens. I wonder if they wanted to stay in this one, and I was putting them off? Maybe someone else has written a blog about some odd guy ruining their photo opportunities in their favourite gardens!
Another garden is the Fuchsia Garden. A beautiful, compact space with box hedging and an assortment of colourful flowers. There is the Wisteria Arch, which would make for a good photo opportunity. According to the Walkden website, this is a particular favourite for Wedding photographers. Then there is a Cherry Walk, a Conifer Garden, a Mini Arboretum, and the Beech Circle.
Search for the Sculptures
To add a bit more fun, there is also the Jane Baugh Sculpture Trail. (Jane is noted down on a plaque as a “councillor and long-time friend of the Gardens”. Jane was an MP for Sale West & Altrincham and seemed to get involved with the arts and a few different community projects. Sadly, she passed away in 2020. (Richardson, A. 2020). There are various little wooden sculptures with small animals on. I saved the photo dog, a bee, a butterfly, and a ladybird, and I got a selfie with a squirrel! These are planted in different gardens. Some of them are more nestled, so it is like a little treasure hunt. The butterfly was hidden behind some bushes, surrounded by trees, as if it were hidden in a little forest. A fun little feature if you want to try collect them all.
Conclusion and rating
I can’t think of much negative to say about Walkden, so I checked out Google Reviews to help me out a little. I like to attempt to offer a perspective from both sides. Supporting my love of this one, the negative reviews are sparse. There is a small handful of one-star reviews, but they neglect to leave a comment. I do long to know what experience they had that resulted in a one-star; alas, we may never know. “Emperor Dalek” left a two-star review, citing that it “is in need of some tlc”.
Derek has given it a three-star review as he believes more flower areas are needed. This seems overly pedantic to me. His review was three years ago, so maybe it was barren then, and Derek should revisit!
I loved this one. A treasure of a find. I will revisit, especially to witness one of these shows that they do! This one definitely gets a positive review. This is one you should visit in Manchester. Of the six I have written about so far, I have given them all a positive rating. Some are coming up that will change this pattern. I started by picking some I knew would appeal to me. I wanted to start by enjoying the experience to keep me motivated to keep at it. There are some in the future that will get neutral & negative ratings.
Instagram: Dickinson95
Previous Entries
1 – Elizabeth Gaskells House – https://111placeschallenge.blog/2025/10/26/111-places-you-shouldnt-miss-in-manchester-01-111-elizabeth-gaskells-house/
2 – Peterloo Memorial – https://111placeschallenge.blog/2025/11/02/111-places-you-shouldnt-miss-in-manchester-02-111-peterloo-memorial/
3 – Southern Cemetery Gates – https://111placeschallenge.blog/2025/11/12/111-places-in-manchester-that-you-shouldnt-miss-03-111-southern-cemetery-gates/
4 – Curry Mile – https://111placeschallenge.blog/2025/12/09/111-places-you-shouldnt-miss-in-manchester-04-111-curry-mile/
5 – Chorlton Water Park – https://111placeschallenge.blog/2026/01/28/111-places-you-shouldnt-miss-in-manchester-05-111-chorlton-water-park/
References
1– “Friends of Walkden Gardens”. Available: https://walkdengardens.co.uk/
2- Richardson, A. (2020). “Tributes have been paid to much-loved long serving councillor.” Manchester Evening News. Available at: https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/tributes-been-paid-much-loved-17831916
3- Treuherz, J. and Figueiredo, P. (2024). 111 Places in Manchester That You Shouldn’t Miss. 4th Edition.
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