See the delights hidden within the Mannington Estate
Walks
A wide variety of habitats may be accessed by following an extensive network of way-marked public and permissive footpaths. These trails take you into ancient and coppice woodland, wet wildflower meadows, unimproved grassland, and green lanes and reveal many historic buildings. There is an arboretum of native trees only a short walk from the visitor centre.
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Our walks and Car Park are open every day from 9am – dusk with a charge of £4.00 for parking. There is an Honesty Box by the Visitor’s Centre.
Dogs on leads are welcome. Particular care needed in fields where sheep graze.
At the entrance are lavatories with wheelchair access.
A wide variety of habitats may be accessed by following an extensive network of way-marked public and permissive footpaths. These trails take you into ancient and coppice woodland, wet wildflower meadows, unimproved grassland, and green lanes and reveal many historic buildings. There is an arboretum of native trees only a short walk from the visitor centre.
A boardwalk gives access to a 4.3-hectare wet wildflower meadow rich in wildlife. Hunting barn owls, harvest mice, seventy-five species of plants and abundant butterflies are just some of the things to be seen. An observation hide with wheelchair access looks across a tranquil stretch of water where edible frogs, kingfishers, and otters may be seen. Please take special care near veteran trees and all water courses.
The Visitor Centre with its pictures and seasonal information provides an excellent introduction to the varied countryside.
Care must be taken as electric fences are used. All grazing is let and livestock are not owned by the Estate.
The Gardens
The gardens around the medieval moated manor feature a wide variety of plants, trees and shrubs in different settings. Throughout the gardens are many roses, especially classic varieties.
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The gardens around the medieval moated manor feature a wide variety of plants, trees and shrubs in different settings. Throughout the gardens are many roses, especially classic varieties. In the Heritage and Modern Rose Gardens are roses in designs reflecting their date and origin. On the South Lawn is a classic temple and the Sensory Garden with water feature and plants selected for touch, sound and taste, scent and colour.
Wildflowers everywhere but especially around the lakes and ruined church. Unusual trees and shrubs are featured throughout.
Opening Hours:
The gardens at Mannington will be open regularly for the season from mid-May until the end of August.
Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays 11am – 5pm.
15th May – Friday 30th August 2024.
Admission: £12.00 adult £10.00 concessions (senior/student/carer)
Children under 16 Free.
Entrance ticket gives admission for two open days within one week.
Free for RHS and HHA members (please bring membership cards). Not applicable to charity/special events.
Special seasonal tickets for Friends of Mannington may be purchased - £70 family i.e everyone living at one address and £50 single person.
House and Garden Tours
Whether your group spends the entire day, or just an hour on the Estate, we all hope you will have an enjoyable and memorable visit.
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The renowned Heritage Rose Garden was created in the 1980s and has over 1,000 varieties of roses arranged in their date of origin. Along with the formal gardens there is also a wildflower meadow which has over 150 species of flora, with boardwalks and bird hides. You can also visit the ruins of Mannington church: believed to have Saxon origins, enlarged in the 13th century and abandoned by the start of the nineteenth when the 4th Earl created his folly garden. There are numerous native and foreign tree species. The gardens mainly accessible by wheelchairs.
The Roses
It appears that there have always been roses at Mannington but the present collection was developed by the late Lord Walpole with much help from noted rose grower, Peter Beales.
The Heritage Rose Garden, laid out from 1980, features roses in settings reflecting their period of origin from medieval to modern. Elsewhere in the garden roses are grown in pots, into trees as well as in beds and borders.
For further information on Historic Roses visit to historicroses.org.
The Tearooms
A selection of hot and cold drinks, homemade light lunches, freshly baked cakes and other snacks are available.
Refreshments are available in the tearooms on Garden Open days and will close one hour before the gardens close
(Tearooms Hours 11am – 4pm).
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Refreshments are available in the tearooms on Garden Open days and will close one hour before the gardens close. (Tearooms Hours 11am – 4pm)
A selection of hot and cold drinks, homemade light lunches, freshly baked cakes and other snacks are available.
We try to cater for all dietaries in the tearooms, however as all our food is freshly made, items can run out. If you have a specific dietary restriction, please let us know beforehand so that we can make sure we have items that you can eat.
As of April 2022, the tearooms at Mannington have been run by Lady Walpole’s daughter, Grace.
Trained at the prestigious Leiths School of Food and Wine, and with a raft of experience gained in restaurants and eateries throughout England and Scotland, Grace she has spent the last 17 years expanding and perfecting her knowledge of produce, technique and presentation.
She has now returned home to Norfolk and runs her own catering business, Walpole’s Kitchen. For more information or to book, please look at her website -walpoleskitchen.co.uk.
If you have any special requests such as a Picnic or an Afternoon Tea, perhaps a Birthday Cake or even Canapés and Champagne for a proposal, please do get in touch to discuss your ideas and options.
Wildlife and Conservation
The varied habitats and over 40 years of countryside management mean that this area is home to a diverse selection of wildlife. Not only the more spectacular, such as the orchids or the owls, buzzards and otters but also bats, moths, fungi, lichens and tiny wildflowers.
Sessions for families or schools and other organised groups will help you to find out more about this special place.
Shop
Our shop at the Visitor Centre has a fascinating array of items with emphasis on local products including textiles by local seamstress, food from Crush at nearby Salle and even Mannington’s own Rose Gin as well as a wide selection of greetings cards and many gifts with a garden and countryside theme.
Accessibility
At Mannington, most of the gardens are accessible by wheelchair and there are seats at regular intervals. However, please note that much of the gardens are grass or gravelled paths or yards and therefore can be hard work for manual wheelchairs.
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A Boardwalk through a meadow provides access to the countryside and our wheelchair-accessible bird hide.
We also offer Parking for disabled people closer to the main part of the gardens and tearooms – Please speak to a member of our staff if you wish to use this facility.
We have wheelchair accessible lavatories.
If you need assistance or would like to ask questions about any mobility issues you may have, please do not hesitate to contact us on 01263 584175 or e-mail admin@walpoleestate.co.uk.