The Gibberd Garden — Attraction in Harlow

A wonderful afternoon my partner and I had at The Gibberd Gardens. We thought our afternoon would just consist of looking around a garden, however our expectations were greatly exceeded due to the diversity of gardens on offer. Each garden is individual and offers something different; my partner and I are relatively young and are not garden enthusiasts, however we really enjoyed the diversity on offer and had an appreciation for the work involved in bringing each garden to life, each with its own theme.

The gardens themselves are truly beautiful, the sculptures are wonderful, some need your imagination. The descriptions for a number of the sculptures within the guide are rather comical with a no nonsense approach such as "bird", "untitled" and "abstract"....but using the guide to find the various sculptures meant we were able to explore the grounds fully and it was quite fun. Some areas did need a little TLC, as overgrown areas obscured some sculptures, two we had a hard time finding; but perhaps this was intentional so to make you really search for them.

Personally I feel children will enjoy an afternoon here, they'll definitely enjoy some of the large open spaces and will find the exploration aspect entertaining. Just be aware some areas contain ponds/water features and due to the fact some gardens require some finding it could be easy to lose sight of them, so keep them close between gardens.

Open on Sunday and Wednesday afternoons from 2pm – 5pm, last entry 4pm. Give yourself a couple of hours to have a good look around.

Tickets are £5 per person and £1 for the guide (do buy the guide as it's extremely useful and informative).

There is an on site cafe and gift shop. Parking is very accessible as the carpark is ample, just be careful on the narrow road leading there and keep the speed below 20mph as it's very tight and some bends are obscured...it's one way in and out so there will be two way traffic.

I highly recommend giving The Gibberd...

This was such a great find!

Named after the architect of Harlow, you will even find his sculpture here among many others, this being sculpture town after all.

Took the kid on a playdate here and we enjoyed the activities a lot. The kids were given a list of things to spot which kept them occupied for quite some time. There is a 'castle' with a moat, eagle sculptures on a gate among many many other sculptures, a large swing hanging from a tree, beautiful gardens and walking trails.

We stopped for coffee (very basic) at the 'cafe' when the sun came out as it was an otherwise cold day. We also found a nice bench and did a little picnic there.

If you go here, remember it can be muddy so get your boots on, and if you do the trail activity, the eagles are on the gates towards the outside, on the road next to where the entrance is. The kids were disappointed to not have found the first thing on the list until we spotted them on...

An amazing collection of statues set in beautiful gardens that is like wandering around a variety of outdoor rooms as every time you turn a corner or walk through an opening the space is transformed into something completely different from the space you have just been in. Full of follies, ponds, both formal and informal, woodlands, glades and patio areas. Some of the installations are quite Heath Robinson. Mahoosive concrete sand castle and a maze too. And quirky carved crows. I particularly liked the Roman/Greek columns with the acanthus growing at their base (a spectacular joke for an architect which was Sir Frederick Gibberd's profession). Toilets and a tearoom. The staff are all volunteers and are approachable, enthusiastic, friendly and informative. The house is only open on certain days so best to check the website. Very reasonably priced. And suitable for all ages. An aesthetically...