Howick Hall is having a three-month trial where dogs are allowed into its gardens
Andrew Jameson, deputy head gardener at Howick Hall(Image: Newcastle Chronicle)
A historic hall on the Northumberland Coast has reopened its gates as its gardens are covered in a carpet of snowdrops. Howick Hall is the ancestral home of Earl Grey Tea, named after the former Prime Minister atop Newcastle’s famous Monument.
The hall has reopened for the 2026 season on Saturday, having curated a series of snowdrop walks through its gardens and into parts of its arboretum. The arboretum is home to more than 11,000 trees from around the world, including China, Japan and Australia.
Andrew Jameson, deputy head gardener at Howick Hall, said: “The snowdrop walks are mainly within the garden area. There’s a tremendous display at this time of year, all we need is sunshine!”
The historic hall has also started a three-month trial, allowing visitors to bring dogs into the garden from Mondays to Wednesdays (assistance dogs are permitted every day of the week). From February to April, staff will monitor the impact on visitor numbers and gain feedback.
With no sign of recent wet weather abating any time soon, visitors to Howick can also stay dry by exploring the hall, which the current Lord Howick still calls home. Andrew said: “The bottom floor of the house is open to the public, the first room is the visitor centre.
“You walk through the rotunda into what was the drawing room, then you can walk into the room that was the dining room. It’s a lovely place to visit, there’s lots of history to Howick.”
The Earl Grey Teahouse in Howick Hall(Image: Newcastle Chronicle)
Howick Hall is open seven days a week between 10.30am and 4pm until March 31. Entry prices start at £12.65 for adults and £4 for children over five.
For more information, visit the Howick Hall website. Howick is not the only Northumberland site well known for its snowdrops, with National Trust site Wallington planting its millionth snowdrop on the site since 2015 last year.
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