FOR some it was a rare chance to explore a normally hidden world, for others, like Peggy Lambert, a trip down the memory lane of childhood as Goldsborough Hall invited the public to view its magnificent gardens for the first time in 80 years.

Peggy, now 90, was the daughter of Princess Mary’s gamekeeper at the stately home near Harrogate and it was a day to fondly reminisce about the Yorkshire Princess and her time at the Hall.

“She was a lovely lady, very kind and very thoughtful and her husband was a gentleman,” says Peggy. “He saw to it that our house was just right, but when he discovered that my father had five children said ‘Good God man, stop now or you’ll need a place bigger than the hall’.

“This is the first time I’ve been inside the front of the house because we knew our place back then and only ever went to the kitchen door. I think it is lovely to see the place looking so well and the gardens are an absolute picture.”

Princess Mary lived at Goldsborough when she married Henry Lascelles, later the 6th Earl of Harewood, and one of the afternoon’s most popular attractions was Lime Tree Walk, which was planted by visiting members of the Royal family, including King George V and Queen Mary.

Over the past four years, owner Clare Oglesby and head gardener Ray Farrer have restored the 11-acre grounds to their former glory, in the style of Capability Brown, with long borders and rose gardens influenced by Gertrude Jekyll.

Now as part of the National Gardens Scheme, everyone was invited to see the fruits of their labour – not to mention enjoy a cream scone under the hot afternoon sun – as Elizabeth Balmforth, curator of the RHS Harlow Carr gardens, formally opened the event which was attended by more than 3,000 people.

Goldsborough Hall was built in the 17th century by Sir Richard Hutton, a prominent London lawyer, but when owners Mark and Clare Oglesby bought the place in 2005, it was in a mess. Now after a major renovation programme, their home is a venue for weddings and has been awarded five stars by the AA for its accommodation.

Kate Bellerby, 85, from Easingwold, served there as a Land Girl during the Second World War and this was her first time back.

“I worked for Dixie Dean the head gardener and he taught me so much,” she says. “After the war someone told him that he must be glad to have the men back but he replied, ‘Don’t be silly, I’d rather have my girls any day’.

“We worked a seven days a week but they were happy times. One day I found a little clearing which had become overgrown so I decided to tidy it up. When I did so, I discovered a number of pets’ graves, so I put flowers on them.” A few days later there was a knock at the door to Kate’s little room above the stable block. She’d assumed it was the laundry girl but it wasn’t.

“When I opened the door I said to myself, ‘I know you’, but I couldn’t put a name to the lady’s face. Well, I made a cup of tea in a cracked mug, which is all I had, and sat her down on this rickety chair. Then I suddenly realised it was Princess Mary. I said, ‘I do apologise, Ma’am’, but she told me, ‘Don’t be silly, I’ve come to say thank you for looking after the pets’ graves’.

“It’s been lovely to come back after all these years, everyone has been so very courteous and the gardens are looking wonderful.”


Fact file

• The National Gardens Scheme was founded in 1927 to raise money for the nurses of the Queen’s Nursing Institute by opening gardens of quality and interest to the public. Now it is Macmillan Cancer Support’s biggest single donor and its support to Marie Curie Cancer Care funds the Marie Curie Nursing Service. 3,700 gardens across England and Wales take part in the scheme; most are privately owned and open only a few times each year. The event at Goldsborough Hall raised more than £10,000.

• Mark and Clare Oglesby are trying to trace the history of Goldsborough Hall and if you have any memories, documents or photographs of the building old or new, they would like to hear from you at info@goldsboroughhall.com