Hare Hill facts for kids
Hare Hill Hall is a lovely old country house with a beautiful garden in Cheshire, England. The house and its surrounding land are owned by a private family. However, the amazing garden nearby is looked after by the National Trust, a charity that protects special places.
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The Historic Hare Hill House
The main house at Hare Hill was built around 1800 for a person named William Hibbert. Later, in the mid-1800s, the Brocklehurst family made it bigger and changed its look.
What the House Looks Like
The house is made of red bricks and has roofs covered with Welsh slate. It's built in the Georgian style, which was popular in England from the early 1700s to the early 1800s. This style often features balanced and simple designs.
The house has two floors. The front of the house, facing east, has three sections called "bays." A "bay" is a part of a building that sticks out from the main wall.
Special Features of the House
Along the entire east side of the house, and continuing to the south side, there's a long verandah. A verandah is like a porch or balcony with a roof. This one is held up by cast iron supports that look like Chinoiserie. Chinoiserie is a style that uses Chinese designs, often with fancy patterns.
The verandah also has a decorative strip called a frieze and a unique tented glass roof. This means the roof is shaped like a tent and made of glass.
Protecting the House
Hare Hill House is officially recognized as a Grade II listed building. This means it's an important historic building that needs to be protected.
The Wonderful Hare Hill Garden
The National Trust looks after the wooded garden at Hare Hill. This garden is famous for its plants! It has over 70 different kinds of rhododendrons, which are flowering shrubs. You can also find azaleas, hollies, and hostas here.
What's Inside the Garden
In the very middle of the garden, there's a special walled garden. Inside, you'll see a pergola, which is a garden archway or structure covered with climbing plants. There are also cool wire sculptures.
A special path, called a "permissive path," leads from the garden to the top of Alderley Edge. This means you are allowed to walk on it.
Visiting the Garden
The garden is open to visitors at certain times. There is a small fee to enter, which helps the National Trust care for the garden.
History of the Garden's Plants
Colonel Charles Brocklehurst owned the garden until he passed away in 1981. He loved plants and got advice from a plant expert named James Russell. Colonel Brocklehurst was a big fan of rhododendrons. He started planting them in the garden in 1960, and they grew very well because of the local weather and soil.
The National Trust took over the garden in 1978. They sold the big Georgian house to help pay for looking after the gardens. The Trust has replaced many common purple rhododendrons with more colorful and unusual types. They've also added other plants like roses, lacecaps, euchryphia, and hydrangeas. This means the garden is interesting to visit for a longer part of the year. Even early in the year, you can see snowdrops, daffodils, a huge clematis Montana, Skunk Cabbage, and magnolia trees.
Unique Collections
The walled garden has many climbing plants and a large lawn. One of the most special things about the garden is its collection of over 50 different kinds of hollies. These include varieties with silver and golden leaves, and yellow and orange berries. You can even find the rare Highclere holly here!
