The oldest private garden in Norwich is full of delights including dramatic double borders backed by cloud-pruned yew, a productive kitchen garden, a rose and hosta walk, a wildflower labyrinth with a 400-year-old pear tree at its heart, and a jungle walk through towering exotic plants.
The Bishop of Norwich’s historic garden is run organically and includes many rare and unusual plants, a hebe grown from a sprig taken from Queen Victoria’s wedding bouquet in 1840, and a popular plant sales area.
The ancient garden continues to evolve with new plants and features introduced year by year.
Garden charity open days 2026
The Bishop of Norwich and his wife open their garden for local charities on selected spring and summer Sundays as part of Bishop Graham’s ministry.
The garden will be open on
Sunday May 10 for Big C – improving the lives of people affected by cancer.
Sunday May 17 for Norfolk Wildlife Trust – celebrating 100 years of protecting and restoring wildlife.
Sunday May 31 for Magdalene Group – working to end sexual violence, exploitation and coercion.
Sunday June 21 for Community Chaplaincy Norfolk – trains and supports volunteer mentors for prison leavers.
Sunday July 5 for National Garden Scheme – funding nursing and health charities.
Sunday July 12 for St John Ambulance – first aid charity.
Sunday July 19 for Norwich Door to Door – community transport for people with limited mobility.
Sunday July 26 for Vision Norfolk – supporting people through sight loss.
Last year 3,000 people visited the garden for the charity open afternoons, raising more than £20,000 for local good causes.
The garden will also be open for Heritage Open Days on September 16 and 17.
Information for open afternoons
Open 1-4.30pm (last entry 4pm) with refreshments, plant sales and more.
Admission £5, FREE for children and wheelchair-users. Assistance dogs only.
Bishop’s Garden, Norwich, NR3 1SB.
To book private group tours of the garden with head gardener Tom Halliburton, contact the Bishop’s finance and facilities assistant by emailing louise.cumberland@dioceseofnorwich.org
History of the Garden
This garden has belonged to the Bishops of Norwich for more than 900 years.
One of the hidden gems of Norfolk, there has been a garden here since around 1100 AD when Bishop Herbert de Losinga began to build the cathedral and a bishop’s palace.
From the garden, guests can still marvel at glorious Norman stonework on the north transept of the cathedral, which is only visible from the Bishop’s Garden.
In the early 14th century, Bishop John Salmon greatly increased the size of the garden, pushing Bishopgate northwards to extend the grounds. Today the four-acre garden is surrounded by flint walls dating back almost 700 years. Bishop Salmon also commissioned a large hall with a grand porchway entrance – now a picturesque ruin in the gardens, known as Bishop Salmon’s Porch.
The chapel beside the upper lawn terrace was built around 1662 after Bishop Reynolds had the original 120ft-long chapel and hall demolished. Some of the stained glass windows visible today came from the previous building. It is now used as a library by Norwich School.
The last of the major medieval buildings in the Bishop’s Garden is Bishop Alnwick’s Gate, started in the early 1400s and completed by Bishop Lyhart in the mid-1400s.
The Old Bishop’s Palace, which still stands, was completed in around 1860. In 1959 a new Bishop’s House was built and the Old Palace was taken over by Norwich School.
The general form of the garden was laid down at least 300 years ago, with the lower end cultivated and bounded by a wall running across the garden. The remains of the wall can still be seen.
In the 1940s up to 15 gardeners were employed here. By the 1950s there were nine gardeners and today the garden is looked after by one full-time and one part-time gardener, plus the Bishop of Norwich.
The gardeners
Tom Halliburton
Head gardener Tom Halliburton loves being part of a line of plant-lovers stretching back more than nine centuries who have cared for this ancient garden. He works hard to ensure the organic garden is a place of peace and calm and particularly enjoys propagating new plants and looking after the many rare species.
Tom studied landscape gardening and garden design at horticultural college before setting up his own gardening business. Now in charge of one of Norfolk’s most historic gardens he welcomes people to charity fund-raising afternoons and pre-booked tours and retreats.
The garden also has a small volunteer group and opportunities for work experience. Tom is keen to expand the friendly and welcoming gardening volunteer group. Anyone interested in joining should email him at head.gardener@dioceseofnorwich.org
Victoria Bleksley
Assistant gardener Vic is passionate about promoting sustainable practices and encouraging bio-diversity. She is interested in the beneficial effects of people’s interactions with plants, gardens and natural environments for well-being and has studied horticulture and social and therapeutic horticulture.