Tucked away in the corner of a Greater Manchester park is a rare garden inspired by one of the country's greatest writers
Platt Fields Park is more commonly associated with students gathering for picnics and barbeques than it is for hidden horticultural gems. Yet, tucked away in a corner of the park is a rare garden, one of the only a few in the country.
A Shakespearean Garden is one which contains some or all of the 175 plants named in the famous playwright's works and they were largely created during the late 19th and early 20th century. Manchester’s was created in 1916 by Rosa Grindon, a Shakespearean lecturer, suffragist and keen botanist; and officially opened in 1922.
Gathering together a team of volunteers, they’ve steadily transformed ‘Shakey’, as it's affectionately known. Although it’s still a ‘work in progress’, many of the features have been restored while new ones have been added, including a ‘human sunclock’. There have been some challenges, such as box blight which has damaged the box hedges, but Kattie is determined to ensure Shakey will be around for future generations to enjoy.
“It’s a hidden gem which many people don’t know about, although we’ve had a lot of older visitors come down and say they remember visiting it when they were younger. It’s a really important part of our heritage and it’s vital that we preserve it.”
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