Bridgemere Garden World

I used to visit Bridgemere Garden World a few times a year up until I went off to university 3 years ago. However, a few days ago I decided to go and visit with my girlfriend, and oh how it has changed.

Firstly some general information. Bridgemere Garden World is located on the A51, seven miles outside of Nantwich in Cheshire. It is very easy to locate as it is signposted well from all major roads in the area. For those who need to ...
...area known simply as the Bridgemere Gardens. Admission is free as with all parts of the centre. The point of this section is to provide inspiration for gardeners of all abilities. Mock ups of the winners of the Chelsea Flower Show and the Tatton Park show are created here. In addition, the television show Gardeners' Diary was filmed here. The gardens combine old traditional ideas with more modern contemporary ones.

The final part of ... more

I used to visit Bridgemere Garden World a few times a year up until I went off to university 3 years ago. However, a few days ago I decided to go and visit with my girlfriend, and oh how it has changed.

Firstly some general information. Bridgemere Garden World is located on the A51, seven miles outside of Nantwich in Cheshire. It is very easy to locate as it is signposted well from all major roads in the area. For those who need to travel on the motorways, it is approximately 10 miles form the M6 from junction 15 or 16, and just follow the brown signposts.

The opening times of the garden centre are 9.00 until 18.00 each day, including Sundays. They do occasionally have late night shopping days, mainly in the run up to Christmas.

The actual centre itself was set up in the 1960's starting with a small 3.5 acre site. Nowadays, it covers a 30 acre area, which puts it in the top five largest garden centres in the UK. In addition to this nearly 2 million visitors pass through the turnstiles every year, with parking spaces for well over a thousand vehicles.

Well enough of the general info, and onto the actual garden centre. The first thing that strikes you as you enter the place is the sheer size and choice that you have. As far as the eye can see is filled with row after row of plants, from the common trees and shrubs, to more rare species from around the world. From plants for large gardens right through to containers and pots, every variety that you could possibly want is available here. Also available in many different varieties are pots, gnomes, ornaments, sheds, greenhouses and paving slabs, so as you can see, there really is no need to go elsewhere.

Secondly, they have updated the water feature section, with many different shapes and sizes available, along with pond liners, cables and pumps. Inside the Ripples Waterlife building, a wide range of tropical and freshwater fish, as well as plants and accessories for all aquarium and pond needs.

A new building has now been opened and this is the Hobbycraft superstore. Inside you will find products and information for any kind of hobby that you may have with painting, embroidery, model making and calligraphy to name but a few. The choice here really did amaze me as I had visited craft shops before, but nothing compared to the size of this place.

The exit of Hobbycraft leads you directly into the bulb house, with a pick and mix selection of seasonal plants available for purchase.

The other big feature of the garden centre is a seven acre area known simply as the Bridgemere Gardens. Admission is free as with all parts of the centre. The point of this section is to provide inspiration for gardeners of all abilities. Mock ups of the winners of the Chelsea Flower Show and the Tatton Park show are created here. In addition, the television show Gardeners' Diary was filmed here. The gardens combine old traditional ideas with more modern contemporary ones.

The final part of the garden centre is the indoor section. This part for me is the traditional garden centre, with patio furniture, gardening tools and equipment and other items present. In addition there is a coffee shop with 400 seats, which offers a wide range of drinks, snacks and meals at a very reasonable price. More plants are present in this section of the centre, mainly the smaller indoor ones such as a cactus. Gardening books and clothing is also available in this section as well as smaller souvenirs or gifts. Near the exit is located the gourmet food section, with frozen fruit and vegetables, as well as country fudges and other sweets available, again at very competitive prices.

Further features which may be of interest to people are that it does contain a very good children’s play area, as well as baby changing facilities. Wheelchairs are provided free of charge to anyone who requires them, as well as a large number of disabled car parking spaces close to the entrance/exit of the centre. A delivery service is also available for larger purchases within a certain radius from the centre.

The one word of caution I would give you is that it can become very crowded on a sunny summer's weekend. I went in early February and it was still very busy. In the past I have known the car park to become full in the afternoon and a queue to form outside but this is quite rare. In addition the coffee shop can be very busy especially at meal times.

The final word must go to the staff. Always willing to help with that heavy plant or container, and always serving with a smile makes the place a very pleasant place to visit. Trolleys are widely available and the outdoor surfaces are very flat and easy to walk on and control the trolleys!!!

All in all I would thoroughly recommend a visit to Bridgemere Garden World if you live in the locality, and also if you are passing through the region on holiday. You really can make a day out of a trip to a garden centre which I never thought would be possible!!!

Thank you all for reading and any comments would be welcomed.
 

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