THE neglected former grounds of Worsley New Hall near Leigh will be turned into a £30 million RHS Garden.

Planned to open in 2019, RHS Garden Bridgewater will be created as part of a wider ten year £100m plus investment programme.

The 156 acre site forms part of the 3rd Duke of Bridgewater’s estate and adjoins the Bridgewater Canal.

The ambitious landscape and horticultural aspirations for RHS Garden Bridgewater will see a major new destination garden created in the midst of the Northern Powerhouse and is estimated to welcome one million visitors a year within a decade of opening its doors.

The project is a collaboration between Peel Land and Property, Salford City Council and the RHS.

RHS Garden Bridgewater will join the RHS’ current portfolio of gardens at Wisley in Surrey, Rosemoor in Devon, Hyde Hall in Essex and Harlow Carr in Yorkshire.

RHS Director General, Sue Biggs, said: “We always thought it would take us a long time to find the ideal site for our Fifth Garden, but with its beautiful landscapes, good public transport links and outstanding location, Worsley New Hall was an opportunity we couldn’t miss.

“Thanks to the support of Salford City Council and Peel Land and Property, they have enabled us to create this new garden, which will bring beauty, knowledge, social cohesion, health and wellbeing, employment and enjoyment to millions more people within Salford, Greater Manchester and the surrounding regions.

“We know that with the growth in visits to RHS gardens and our increased engagement with people wanting to garden and grow plants, the time is right to embark on this exciting ambition to create what we believe will become one of the UK’s greatest gardens.”

The announcement comes in a year when the RHS has had record visits to its four Gardens, achieved its highest membership in its 211 year history at 445,000 and the highest number of online visits with 15.1 million unique users achieved to date this year.

The RHS will work with a world class landscape architect to develop a masterplan for RHS Garden Bridgewater. Horticultural highlights will include the restoration of the ten acre Walled Kitchen Garden – one of the largest in the UK – recreating and developing historical features such as the tree lined Garden Approach and recovering the Terraces, which sit between the lake and the site of the lost Worsley New Hall.

It’s hoped the new garden will bring a new learning centre for thousands of schoolchildren to grow their horticultural knowledge; and a range of facilities that will bring gardening to life for everyone.

John Whittaker, chairman of The Peel Group added: “For many years we have waited to seize the right kind of opportunity for this historic and unique location and we are proud and delighted that our site at Worsley New Hall is now set to become the RHS’ Fifth Garden.”

It is 14 years since the RHS last acquired a garden when the charity was gifted RHS Garden Harlow Carr in 2001. Its flagship garden in Wisley Surrey, which welcomes one million visitors a year, is 115 years old and today all four RHS Gardens are recording record growth, with a combined audience of 1.76 million visitors a year.

The creation of the RHS Garden Bridgewater will be subject to all relevant planning and legal processes.