Come visit the finest fernery in the Home Counties
29th May 17:30-20:00
30th May 17:30-20:00
A hidden dell garden full of flowering perennials, gorgeous ferns and a chalk bank brimming with wildflowers, many rare. Gravel paths meander over a rustic bridge with an imaginative ‘river’ below which then lead you to a Victorian grotto and waterfall made from Pulhamite (artificial rock) built in 1860.
About Danesbury Fernery
Volunteers have worked in partnership with Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council since 2015 restoring the derelict site. It was once a chalk pit but is now a leafy dell with mature oaks and lime trees. Over 50,000 spring time bulbs have been planted and one bank is dedicated to wild flowers found in Hertfordshire, some of which are very rare e.g. Deptford Pink & Corn Chamomile.
The original Fernery contained beds built to provide different zones, i.e. acid/alkaline, damp/dry to enable a diversity of ferns and plants for the delectation of Victorian society! It was designed and built in 1859 by Anthony Parsons, Danesbury House’s Head Gardener, and completed in 1860.
No original plans survive but Pulham’s promotional catalogue (for artificial rock) details a grotto, dropping well, a pass and a rustic bridge over a gorge. In 1881 the leading gardening journal of the time ‘Garden Memoranda’, referred to it as ‘the best Fernery to be found in the Home Counties’.
Dates
29th May 2026 – 17:30-20:00
30th May 2026 – 17:30-20:00
Admission
Adults: £4
Children: Free
Location details
Danesbury Fernery,
North Ride,
Welwyn,
Hertfordshire,
AL6 9RD
Directions to Danesbury Fernery
1½m from J6. Danesbury Fernery is in Danesbury Nature Reserve. Street parking available nearby.
For this open day you can book your tickets in advance. Click on the yellow button below to book or you can just turn up and pay on the day. Wine, prosecco and refreshments will be available to purchase throughout the evening.