Milford-based professional photographer Ashley Franklin is about to celebrate a very special Derbyshire garden .
An exhibition – and accompanying book entitled Garden of Plenty – which opens at Belper Library on Saturday, April 18, is a celebration of Colin and Gill Hancock’s ‘patch of Derbyshire paradise’ at 334 Belper Road in the village of Stanley Common, an 11-acre garden and wood as featured by Alan Titchmarsh on his Channel 4 show Love Your Garden.
As Ashley explains: ‘I had long known Colin and Gill as keen members of my weekly Belper Ritz Silver Screen shows and, after watching that TV feature, I was compelled to explore their wonderful garden with my camera.
‘It turned into a passion project which involved photographing the garden for over two years’.
FLORAL CANOPY: Seating nestled beneath the beautiful wisteria in the Hancocks’ garden (Image: Ashley Franklin)
Ashley’s timing turned out to be immaculate as this summer Colin and Gill have something more to celebrate: their 50th wedding anniversary.
It’s also the 50th anniversary of their garden, having moved in to their Stanley Common bungalow as newly-weds, knowing next-to-nothing about gardening.
The seeds of this Eden were sown, quite literally, by Gill’s father who encouraged his daughter to grow potatoes.
NATURAL MAZE: The intricate labyrinth feature nestled in the spectacular Stanley Common grounds (Image: Ashley Franklin)
Sensing potential in the rose garden, apple trees and pond already in place, the Hancocks bought both how-to horticultural books and a few flowering plants.
Over 20 years later, 1997, they opened for the first time as part of the National Open Garden Scheme.
FLORAL ARCHWAY: A vibrant laburnum tunnel in the beautiful Derbyshire garden (Image: Colin Hancock)
By then, the garden was graced with a laburnum tunnel, rose and wisteria domes, and a widened wildlife pond.
30 years on, 334 Belper Road is more than just a garden. After Gill’s father bequeathed the Hancocks 25 acres of farmland adjacent to their house, UK Coal mined 10 acres of land restored what they had despoiled, helping Colin and Gill to create their own wood, including a half-acre lake.
The woodland is now home to several hundred trees and swathes of marsh orchids.
AWARD NOMINEE: The garden was shortlisted in the Trees, Woods and Forests category of International Garden Photographer of the Year 2025 (Image: Ashley Franklin)
As for the garden itself, it’s even more bountiful than ever.
“I hope my photos do justice to this garden”, says Ashley.
“What makes it so enchanting is that it’s neither wild nor orderly; it’s just beautifully natural”.
As Colin Hancock states: ‘We never wanted our garden to be trim and regimented; just one that looks unpretentious and unspoilt’.
As Gill adds: ‘The reason it didn’t turn into a manicured, formal garden is that there was never any grand plan; it just evolved’.
WOODLAND LAKE: The peaceful lake nestled in the Hancocks’ spectacular Derbyshire grounds (Image: Ashley Franklin)
Colin and Gill’s garden at 334 Belper Road has been part of the National Open Garden Scheme for 29 years, in which time Colin and Gill have raised over £60,000 for charity.
The exhibition, which will run from April 18 to 25, will display two dozen large mounted prints showing the many and various aspects of the garden, including a laburnum tunnel, shepherd’s hut, wildlife pond, a wood comprising a lakeland with its many tree species, along with studies of flowers such as Marsh Orchid, Japanese Anemone, Snowdrop and Tansy.
The 100-page book Garden of Plenty will be on sale during the exhibition, priced at £20.
Belper Library is open on Saturdays from 9am to 2.30pm, and from Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm except for Tuesday when it’s open from 9am until 6pm.
Ashley will be in attendance for the whole of the exhibition, with Colin and Gill joining him at various times during the week.
Following the exhibition, Colin and Gill’s garden at 334 Belper Road, Stanley Common(DE7 6FY) will be open as part of the National Garden Scheme on Saturday, May 16 and Sunday, June 7.
Admission is £5, children can enter free. Visits also by arrangement can be made from April 11 to June 27 for groups of up to 30. Email: gillandcolinhancock@gmail.com Tel: 01159 301061
Location: Derbyshire
Comments are closed.