A Shakespearean Garden is a themed garden which contains some or all of the 175 plants mentioned in Shakespeare’s works. Most of these gardens are a late 19th / early 20th century interpretation of the formal Elizabethan gardens. The aim being to design an historically accurate garden such as Shakespeare would have recognised.
‘Shakey’, as our garden is affectionately known, is a sunken walled garden which is entered via a central ‘staircase’. The formal garden is divided into 4 quadrants, or ‘rooms’, and surrounded by large banked areas and majestic trees.
The garden is often described as the park’s hidden gem nestled in a discreet corner, just a few moments from Wilmslow Road but miles away in character and feel; some people seek her out, others stumble across her by accident but many still don’t know of her existence. A quiet place to read a book, chat with friends, sit and contemplate, or perhaps just watch the summer evening sun throw long topiary shadows across the paths and lawns. Pure bliss.
Whatever the time of year there is something magical to see. Our volunteers are always adding interest to the garden so that we can appeal to as many people as possible, however we are also mindful that this is one of very few public Shakespearean Gardens left both in the UK… and in the world, and so we must restore and update the garden in a sensitive way.
Key features of the garden include:
- Two entrances, with the side gate along a gentle slope that will avoid the steps.
- Topiary hedges.
- Vegetable section which includes several heritage crops and Shakespearean herbs
- Elizabethan ‘knot’ section – this is not an actual knot but is reminiscent of one. Most call this the maze – even though it is neither a real knot nor a maze!
- Small apple orchard with stunning circular border.
- Human sunclock (installed in 2023) – your body casts the shadow so you can tell the time.
- There are also many other areas which we are currently working on including a herbaceous border, a rockery, woodland trails, a hopscotch area and plenty more.
- Just outside the side gate we are restoring native Bluebells in a Bluebell wood in front of the historical Cathedral Arch that leads to a section of the ancient Nico Ditch.
It appears that the blueprint for our Shakespearean Garden in Platt Fields’ Park, was a much smaller Shakespearean Garden created in 1916 in the grounds of the Whitworth Art Gallery by Rosa Grindon.
Rosa was a leading light in Edwardian Manchester, she was a recognised Shakespearean lecturer, a keen botanist, a suffragist and a philanthropist who regularly spoke out on the need for public parks and green spaces. As Chair of the Manchester Tercentenary Association; an organisation formed to celebrate the tercentenary of Shakespeare’s death, it therefore seems entirely fitting that Rosa would choose a Shakespearean Garden as one of the ways to honour the bard’s life.
Although the very first Shakespearean Garden was created in 1892 in Brockwell Park, the idea really gained popularity around the Western world during the tercentenary celebrations. Sadly many of these gardens never came to fruition, or the plans were severely curtailed, because of the constraints of WW1 and so Shakespearean Gardens are very rare in the UK and in mainland Europe.
We do not know how long the garden at the Whitworth remained but it seems it was quite short lived and that ‘Shakey’, which was opened in 1922, was planned as a more complete and long lasting representation of a Shakespearean Garden. Rosa died in 1923, aged 75, and we often wonder whether this photo of the garden’s official opening which shows a rather elderly lady, centre stage, is in fact Rosa Grindon.
As a tribute to Rosa, we have dedicated the large circular bed on the left hand side of the ‘maze’ to Rosa and have only planted purple, white and green flowers; the colours of the suffrage movement for women. The purple symbolises loyalty and dignity, the white symbolises purity and the green symbolises hope.
Until the renovation work began in 2021 most of the garden’s history had been lost in the mists of time and we hope that by bringing this to the fore we can help save our garden for future generations by ensuring she is valued and properly maintained.
For those who are interested in learning about the development of the concept of a Shakespearean Garden, I recommend ‘The Quest for Shakespeare’s Garden’ by Sir Roy Strong.
Like most public parks, Platt Fields has suffered from continual budget cuts over many years and only very basic grounds’ maintenance is carried out by contractors . There are no employed gardeners and there is no regular garden funding.
As The Shakespearean Garden is a formal garden she requires a lot of tending and so this ‘hands off’ approach inevitably meant she soon fell into severe neglect; during the summer months, the weeds were waist height, there was rubbish everywhere, the rats were in heaven and, at times, it felt seriously unsafe. Over the years there had been attempts by volunteers to manage it, including a 24 hour Orchard Makeover in 2019 but without a long term, sustained plan of action, and an enormous amount of effort, it was impossible to make an impact. The longer the period of neglect, the harder it became.
At the beginning of 2021, things started to change and by the end of the year there was a small, hardcore group of highly dedicated volunteers who were prepared to spend hours labouring in all weathers, without an electricity source, a nearby water source, a shed… and we even bought our own tools!
By August 2022 we were able to put on a fantastic centenary event, opened by the Lord Mayor, with talks, live acoustic music and stalls throughout the afternoon and an evening promenade performance of excerpts from Shakespeare performed by a professional acting troupe. We had made serious headway.
The garden is still a ‘work in progress’ – which is perhaps the very essence of gardening – but it is now clearly loved and tended and the future looks bright.
In recognition of these efforts, the Shakey Gardeners have been awarded ‘Outstanding’ by the RHS Britain in Bloom
Aside from gardening, we host 2 annual events; a Summer and Christmas event, the aim of these events is primarily to bring joy and showcase the garden but also to raise some much needed cash so that we can continue maintaining and enhancing this treasure.
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