Forbidden Corner facts for kids
The Facetower located at The Forbidden Corner
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| Location | North Yorkshire, England |
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| Coordinates | 54°16′33″N 1°51′25″W / 54.27583°N 1.85694°W |
| Owner | Tupgill Park Estate |
| Slogan | The Strangest Place In The World |
| Operating season | April to Christmas |
| Area | 4 acres (16,000 m2) |
| Website | Forbidden Corner |
The Forbidden Corner is a super unique garden located in the Yorkshire Dales National Park in England. It's like a giant puzzle or a mysterious adventure park! You'll find strange statues, hidden tunnels, and tricky mazes. It's known as "The Strangest Place In The World." This special place is open for everyone to explore.
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The Forbidden Corner: A Mysterious Garden
What is The Forbidden Corner?
The Forbidden Corner is a special type of garden called a folly. A folly is a building or structure built just for fun, not for a real purpose. This garden is full of surprises. It has many different paths, hidden corners, and interesting things to discover. It covers about 4 acres, which is like four football fields!
A Look Back: The Garden's Story
The Forbidden Corner was created in the 1980s. The owner of Tupgill Park, Colin Armstrong, designed it with an architect named Malcolm Tempest. At first, it was a private garden just for the Armstrong family. They had lived on the estate since the Victorian times.
The garden opened to the public in 1997. People loved visiting this strange and wonderful place. By the year 2000, about 80,000 people visited every year. The garden also created jobs for around 25 people.
There was a small problem with the garden's opening. The owners didn't get official permission for so many people to visit. Local planners worried about too many cars coming to the park. They also felt the garden didn't fit with the quiet goals of a national park.
However, many people wanted the garden to stay open. Over 10,000 people signed a petition to support it. In the end, a special agreement was made. The garden could stay open, but it had to limit how many visitors came each hour. This helped protect the local environment.
Exploring the Amazing Garden
When you visit The Forbidden Corner, you'll find lots of amazing things. The garden is set up like a maze, so you'll need to explore to find your way. Visitors get a checklist of things to find. This makes your visit like a treasure hunt! You can also find 15 hidden brass plaques and make rubbings of them.
Some of the cool things you'll see include:
- Tall towers and secret tunnels
- A labyrinth with a floor that spins!
- A huge dog's head made from conifer trees, about 12 feet tall
- A giant green man sculpture made from oak, about 20 feet tall
- Fun water fountains and mysterious grottoes (small caves)
There's also a cafe where you can get a snack and a gift shop to find souvenirs.
Planning Your Visit
The Forbidden Corner has won awards for being unique. The Folly Fellowship called it the best European folly of the 20th century. It was also voted the best children's attraction in Yorkshire.
To visit, you need to buy your tickets online beforehand. You can also book them from an office in Middleham. In 2018, tickets cost £12.50 for adults and £10.50 for children. A family ticket for two adults and two children was £44.
