We will meet on an irregular basis throughout the year. Our aim is to share our love of gardening, knowledge of plants, and garden ideas. Members suggest visits to formal gardens, including the Open Gardens and the National Garden Scheme, and also local and national garden shows. Communication is by WhatsApp and email.

Towneley Hall - March 19th 2026

Towneley Hall Museum & Art Gallery was home to the Towneley family for over 600 years. The Hall was purchased by Burnley Corporation, now Burnley Borough Council, in 1902 and has been open to the public as a museum and art gallery since 1903. During that time, the collections have grown to encompass many different subject areas, including fine art, ancient Egypt, local history, and wildlife. Traces of the Towneley family and their staff can still be felt around the Hall, with some spaces having changed very little since the last family member, Alice, Lady O’Hagan left the Hall.

As well as the permanent collections, Towneley hosts a changing programme of contemporary exhibitions and events throughout the year.

12 Members of the gardening group turned up. It was a glorious warm day. The start of spring. The hall has recently been re-opened after a few year being renovated. The daffodils were in full bloom. The venue has a nice cafe where the group had morning coffee and later on a lunch.

Fountains Abbey - February 11th 2026

The abbey is a ruined Cistercian monastery near Ripon. It was founded in 1132 under the archbishop of York and over the next four centuries became one of the wealthiest monasteries in England. The monastery was dissolved in 1539 as part of the English Reformation. The monastery is now within the Studley Royal Park, a landscaped garden created in the eighteenth century.

This was the first garden outing in 2026, and a wet one it was. The main event was to see the snow drops, and even after the poor January weather we have experienced, they made a welcome good showing. Eight members of the gardening group attended the abbey.

2026 Planning Meeting

A planning meeting took place on 23rd January at the World Peace Buddha café opposite the bus station in Keighley. The meeting decided on the regularity of the garden visits, the preferred day of the week for trips, transportation, and potential venues. A big thank you to all who attended this meeting and to the venue for lovely coffee and cakes.

The programme of planned garden visits for 2026 is shown under "Events" from the main menu.

Goddards

On 25th July 2025 the gardening group went to Goddard's in York. Goddard's is a lovely arts and crafts house with gardens looking out towards the Knavesmire. The weather was good and we found time to have lunch on the terrace. We travelled using the the voluntary run Keighley community bus.

RHS Harlow Carr

The second outing was to RHS Harlow Carr gardens today with the garden appreciation group. a little early for some of the spring flowers but still lots to see.

York Gate

The first outing of the group was to York Gate Garden at Adel in Leeds. The snowdrops looked good and we also enjoyed the cafe which was excellent.