Homes & Gardens · North of England
Homes & Gardens: the North of England
From the Lakes, the Dales and the North York Moors to the great gardens at Alnwick, Harlow Carr and Bridgewater, with the paint showrooms, kitchen studios, interiors shops and antiques centres of Harrogate, York, Manchester and Cheshire. Northumberland to Cheshire and Yorkshire, all within a train ride of London.
Updated October 2026
Browse by type
Gardens to Visit 10
Historic estates, plantsmen’s gardens and RHS gardens.
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Arley Hall and Gardens
A Cheshire estate and RHS partner garden, home to a celebrated double herbaceous border that appears on an 1846 plan.
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Belsay Hall Quarry Garden
An English Heritage garden of rocky ravines, made in the quarry that supplied the hall’s stone, sheltered enough for tender plants.
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Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal Water Garden
Georgian water gardens, ponds, statues and follies set beside the ruined abbey; a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
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Holker Hall & Gardens
Around 25 acres of formal and woodland gardens near Cartmel, with a walled kitchen garden, a Mawson rose garden and National Plant Collections.
LA11 7PLExplore View on map
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Levens Hall
A Cumbrian hall whose twelve acres of gardens are best known for clipped topiary, alongside rose and herb gardens and an orchard.
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Ness Botanic Gardens
The University of Liverpool’s botanic garden on the Wirral, begun by Arthur Bulley in 1898, looking out over the Dee estuary.
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RHS Garden Bridgewater
The newest RHS garden, opened in 2021 on the old Worsley New Hall estate, built around an 11-acre walled garden.
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RHS Garden Harlow Carr
The RHS garden outside Harrogate, loved for its broad prairie-style borders and the damp-loving planting along its stream.
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Tatton Park Japanese Garden
A Japanese garden of 1910 at Tatton Park, with a tea house, a Shinto shrine and a bridge across the Golden Brook, usually seen on a guided walk.
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The Alnwick Garden
The Duchess of Northumberland’s modern garden, laid out by Jacques and Peter Wirtz around cascades, fountains and formal geometric beds; book ahead.
Countryside 10
National parks, coast and the great walking country.
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Arnside & Silverdale National Landscape
Limestone hills, woodland and salt marsh on Morecambe Bay, home to rare butterflies such as the high brown fritillary.
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Forest of Bowland National Landscape
Gritstone fells and heather moorland in Lancashire and Yorkshire, an important breeding ground for hen harriers and merlins.
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Hadrian's Wall Path
The 84-mile National Trail along the Roman wall, from Wallsend on the Tyne to Bowness-on-Solway.
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Lake District National Park
Cumbria’s lakes and fells: the national park for walking, boating and the landscapes of the Romantic poets.
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North York Moors National Park
A national park since 1952, with sweeping heather moorland that turns purple in late summer.
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Northumberland Coast National Landscape
Around 40 miles of protected shoreline from Berwick to Amble, with Bamburgh and its castle at the centre.
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Northumberland National Park
Remote hills and valleys under some of the darkest skies in Europe, inside the Northumberland International Dark Sky Park.
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The Pennine Way
Britain’s first National Trail, opened in 1965, running 268 miles from Edale in the Peak District to the Scottish Borders.
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Wainwright's Coast to Coast
Alfred Wainwright’s route of about 190 miles from St Bees to Robin Hood’s Bay, across three national parks.
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Yorkshire Dales National Park
Limestone pavements, drystone walls and the Three Peaks, spread over some 1,762 square kilometres of hill country.
Wildlife & Nature 10
Reserves, wetlands, zoos and wildlife parks.
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Chester Zoo
A 128-acre zoo with around 450 species, among them a family herd of Asian elephants.
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Farne Islands
National Trust islands off Northumberland, reached by boat, with seabirds in summer and grey seal pups in autumn.
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Knowsley Safari
A safari park near Liverpool, open since 1971, with a five-mile drive-through route and a walking trail for Amur tigers.
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Lake District Wildlife Park
A 24-acre park near Keswick with more than 100 species in open fields and daily bird of prey displays.
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RSPB Bempton Cliffs
Clifftop paths and viewpoints over huge seabird colonies on the Yorkshire coast, with puffins in season.
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RSPB Leighton Moss
A reedbed reserve by Morecambe Bay, known for bitterns, bearded tits and marsh harriers.
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Tropical World
A tropical house in Roundhay Park, Leeds, opened in 1988 with butterflies among its residents.
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Williamson Park Butterfly House
A butterfly house in an old palm house beside the Ashton Memorial in Lancaster, with a small zoo.
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WWT Martin Mere
A Lancashire wetland where thousands of pink-footed geese and wild swans spend the winter.
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Yorkshire Wildlife Park
A wildlife park near Doncaster where raised walkways look over big reserves for tigers, lions and polar bears.
Garden Centres 10
Destination garden centres and specialist nurseries.
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Barton Grange Garden Centre
A Lancashire garden centre near Preston with plants, homeware, a farm shop and a restaurant.
Garstang Road, Preston PR3 0BTExplore View on map
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Bents Garden & Home
A Cheshire garden and home centre that began with roses sold from a front garden in 1937; the GCA’s North destination winner for 2026.
Warrington Road, Glazebury WA3 5NTExplore View on map
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Cowell's Garden Centre
A family-run garden centre and nursery north-west of Newcastle, trading since 1978.
Main Road, Woolsington NE13 8BWExplore View on map
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Dean's Garden Centre
A York garden centre founded by Ken and Margaret Dean in 1968, with a large plant greenhouse.
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Fairways Garden Centre
A Macclesfield garden centre, shortlisted in the GCA’s 2026 North local awards.
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Gordale Garden & Home Centre
A family-owned garden centre on the Wirral, in 15 acres of landscaped grounds, with a food hall and café.
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Klondyke Stringers
A neatly kept Doncaster garden centre, shortlisted in the GCA’s 2026 North local awards.
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Moss & Moor
An Ilkley garden centre on the edge of the moors, shortlisted for the GCA North Garden Centre of the Year in 2026.
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Tong Garden Centre
A large independent garden centre near Bradford on a 17-acre site, well known for its Christmas displays.
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Wentworth Garden Centre
A big South Yorkshire garden centre in the village of Wentworth, near Rotherham.
Interior Shops 10
Independent interiors and homeware shops.
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27 West Park Antiques & Home Interiors
Antiques and home interiors side by side on West Park in Harrogate.
27 West Park, Harrogate HG1 1BJExplore View on map
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Arighi Bianchi
A furniture and interiors store trading since 1854, housed in a listed cast-iron and glass building in Macclesfield.
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Form Lifestyle Store
A small Northern Quarter shop with a careful edit of homeware by independent makers.
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French and Wilder
Nathan Wilder’s Hexham shop of French antiques, brocante and his own designs.
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IDAHO
A gift and homeware shop facing Altrincham Market, with a clean, Scandinavian look.
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Nora's Interiors and Gifts
An Ilkley shop of gifts and pieces for the home, many by independent British designers.
44 The Grove, IlkleyExplore View on map
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Owl & Monkey
A York boutique that mixes vintage and contemporary homeware with goods from small British makers.
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Snowhome
An independent design shop on Gillygate in York for storage, gifts and clever gadgets.
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Susie Watson Designs
The Harrogate shop of Susie Watson Designs in the Montpellier Quarter, where the team gives interiors advice.
Paint Suppliers 10
Paint showrooms and stockists.
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Aberford Interiors
A Farrow & Ball stockist in the village of Aberford, east of Leeds, with paint available from stock.
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Brewers Birkenhead
A Birkenhead decorator centre and Farrow & Ball Premium Stockist.
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Brewers Durham
A Durham decorator centre with Farrow & Ball, Mylands, Zoffany and Paint & Paper Library, and Little Greene mixed in store.
Cathedral Park, Belmont Industrial EstateExplore View on map
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Brewers Newcastle
A Newcastle decorator centre selling Farrow & Ball, Little Greene and Paint & Paper Library.
Unit 2 & 3 Boyd Street, Newcastle NE2 1APExplore View on map
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Chapel Interiors
A Wilmslow shop for designer wallpaper and paint, Little Greene included.
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Farrow & Ball Harrogate
Farrow & Ball’s Harrogate showroom for its paints and wallpapers, open every day.
18-22 Albert Street, Harrogate HG1 1JTExplore View on map
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Farrow & Ball Manchester
Farrow & Ball’s Manchester showroom near Deansgate; check opening hours before you go.
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Little Greene Wilmslow
Little Greene’s Wilmslow showroom, with the whole colour range on the wall, painted sample boards and wallpaper books.
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Neptune York
Neptune’s York store, in a converted pub on the Malton Road, for the brand’s own paint colours.
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Robinson & Neal
A family wallpaper and paint firm founded in 1899, with shops in Chester, Liverpool and Birkenhead.
Curtains & Blinds 10
Curtain makers, blind specialists and fabric shops.
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Amanda Baker Soft Furnishings
A Newcastle workroom, founded in 2002, making curtains to measure and advising on colour and window dressing.
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Blind Factory
Roller, Roman, venetian and vertical blinds made to measure in the firm’s own Leeds factory.
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Chiltern Mills
A Leeds family business with a department making curtains, blinds and awnings to measure.
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Country Fabrics
A Harrogate-based service that brings curtain fabrics to your home, then makes curtains, blinds and upholstery.
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David James Interiors
A family business in Roundhay, Leeds, making curtains and blinds to measure, with wallcoverings too.
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Sofas & Stuff Knutsford
A Knutsford showroom with more than 200 fabric books, including RHS and V&A designs.
3-7 Canute Place, Knutsford WA16 6BQExplore View on map
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Susie Watson Designs Harrogate
Curtains and blinds made to measure at Susie Watson’s Harrogate shop, with designers on hand for whole rooms.
2 Montpellier Gardens, HarrogateExplore View on map
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Tailored Shutters & Blinds
A family firm in Wetherby fitting shutters and blinds around Leeds, Harrogate and York.
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The Grove Blind & Shutter Co.
A family firm fitting made-to-measure blinds, curtains and plantation shutters across Greater Manchester and Cheshire.
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Vanilla Interiors
A Tadcaster firm making and fitting curtains to order since 2007.
Kitchen Design 9
Kitchen makers and design studios.
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Harvey Jones Harrogate
Harvey Jones’s enlarged Harrogate showroom for its hand-painted kitchens.
4a Crescent Road, HarrogateExplore View on map
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Harvey Jones Wilmslow
A two-storey Harvey Jones kitchen showroom in central Wilmslow; Sunday visits by appointment.
2 Church Street, WilmslowExplore View on map
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Neptune at Fenwick Newcastle
A Neptune showroom inside Fenwick in Newcastle, the brand’s first within a department store, announced for October 2026.
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Neptune Chester
Neptune’s Cheshire store near Chester, with its kitchens, furniture and paint.
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Neptune York (kitchen design)
Neptune’s York store for its kitchens and furniture, in a former pub outside the city.
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Tom Howley Alderley Edge
Tom Howley’s Alderley Edge showroom of hand-made kitchens, open every day.
30 London Road, Alderley Edge SK9 7DZExplore View on map
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Tom Howley Altrincham
The Altrincham showroom where Tom Howley first opened his doors.
30 Church Street, Altrincham WA14 4DWExplore View on map
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Tom Howley Harrogate
Tom Howley’s Harrogate showroom of hand-made kitchens; no appointment needed, open every day.
12 Royal Parade, Harrogate HG1 2SZExplore View on map
Home Comforts 8
Bedding, linen, tableware and the things that make a home.
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HomeSense Birstall
HomeSense at Birstall Retail Park, between Leeds and Bradford, with parking on site.
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HomeSense Cheadle
HomeSense in south Manchester, at Stanley Green Retail Park, with stock that changes all the time.
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HomeSense Leeds Crown Point
A two-floor HomeSense and TK Maxx store at Crown Point Shopping Park, Leeds.
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HomeSense Leeds The Headrow
HomeSense in central Leeds for branded bedding, lighting and tableware at reduced prices.
22-26 The Headrow, LeedsExplore View on map
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HomeSense Metrocentre
A HomeSense and TK Maxx store at the Metrocentre in Gateshead.
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HomeSense Sheffield
HomeSense at St James Retail Park in Sheffield, open into the evening Monday to Saturday.
Bochum Parkway, Sheffield S8 8BSExplore View on map
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HomeSense York
HomeSense at Monks Cross on the edge of York, for branded homeware at reduced prices.
Unit 10a, Monks Cross Shopping ParkExplore View on map
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Upside Down Design
A York design shop and gallery with homeware, Mylands paint and a wide choice of fabrics.
27 Bootham, YorkExplore View on map
Antique Shops 9
Antiques centres, dealers and fairs.
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Antiques on High Bowness
Handpicked antique and vintage pieces in Bowness-on-Windermere, open since 2021.
Crag Brow, Bowness-on-Windermere LA23 3BXExplore View on map
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Antiques on High Harrogate
Dealers’ cabinets under one roof in Montpellier Mews, Harrogate, now run by Antiques on High.
11 Montpellier Street, HarrogateExplore View on map
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Dagfields Craft and Antiques Centre
Crafts and antiques together near Nantwich, open every day.
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Elsecar Antiques Centre
Over a hundred traders of antiques, vintage and collectables on two floors at Elsecar Heritage Centre.
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Ingnet Antiques
A Barnard Castle family business, since 1999, specialising in Arts and Crafts furniture and Yorkshire oak.
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Mission Hall Antiques Centre
The main antiques centre in Barnard Castle, a market town known for its antiques shops on The Bank.
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Priestley's at No. 36
Antiques, vintage furniture and soft furnishings in a Georgian house on Bootham, close to York Minster.
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Red House Antiques Centre
Ten showrooms over three floors in the centre of York.
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York Antiques Centre
A York centre with pieces from Roman times through Georgian, Victorian and Art Deco to the present.
Every place was checked against an official or published source in October 2026. Opening days and hours change with the seasons, so check before you travel; many gardens close or open fewer days in winter.
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