St Anthony’s Hall Gardens

A beautiful garden in the heart of York

When the Trust acquired St Anthony’s Hall in 2008, it included a small schoolhouse that was part of a Blue Coat School, a disused printing workshop and a large unkempt garden overlooked by the 500,000 or so people that annually walk York’s magnificent city walls.

With wider public benefit in mind, the Trust decided to reclaim and revamp the garden, choosing a scheme submitted by Annette Parkes and her students from Bishop Burton College. Seeking to highlight the garden’s close links with the medieval Hall, Parkes and her students based their design on heraldic patterns and divided the space into distinct planting areas.

At the entrance is a large sandstone shield providing the symbolic link with the Guild of St. Anthony. Beyond, in the central courtyard, are transparent grasses that shimmer in the light, whilst the scent of thyme and lavender catch the air and tactile plants such Stachys byzantine, or lamb’s ear, encourage visitors to enjoy a sensory experience. The central wavy iron sculpture mimics the grasses and adds height and segregation, whilst allowing glimpses through to the structures beyond.

Several of the seats provided for the public have been dedicated to the memory of the founders and former trustees of York Conservation Trust, as well as one donated by Michael Bell, the last caretaker of St. Anthony’s Hall and The Borthwick Institute.

The planting around the seating area creates a marginal woodland setting with acanthus, red-berried Skimmia and varieties of Viburnum, plus plants like Astrantia and Astilbe, which add a lighter touch to the backdrop of the woodland and city walls. In the centre of the rising ground is a water rill that runs down to a trough flanked by a mass of white arum lilies all set within a sea of yew mounds and box hedging.

With the aim to create a year-round structure and interest, evergreens such as architectural ferns and specimen trees populate the slope. These are surrounded by a profusion of ground-hugging gentians, Primrose and Epimedium, also known as Bishop’s Hat and Horny Goat Weed, which form a pleasing carpet amongst the dappled shade of the mature trees. Seasonal interest is provided by the beautiful bell-shaped Christmas rose. The result has made St Anthony’s Hall Garden a hidden idyll, enjoyed by local artisans, residents and visitors to York.

Today, the garden offers a quiet spot to sit with nature in the shelter of York's ancient city walls and, closer to Peaseholme Green, a charming setting for some unique local businesses: the York Ghost Merchants' Dispensary, the Thin Ice Press - a University of York social enterprise supporting traditional printing methods and highly regarded Arras restaurant in the Old Workshop. 

Winners of the 2009 Conservation/Reuse, New Build, Open Space/Public Realm Award at the York Design Awards, St Anthony’s Hall Gardens is fully accessible and open to the public during daylight hours. A programme of maintenance and planting continue throughout the year.

Including images courtesy of Alan Harris with our thanks.