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Ordinary Looking House Hides Magical Secret Garden On Other Side

Ordinary Looking House Hides Magical Secret Garden On Other Side

The owner spent several years creating a whole new world of tranquillity

Rebecca Shepherd

Rebecca Shepherd

If you came across this perfectly ordinary-looking house, you'd think nothing of it but what if we were to tell you that it actually hides an incredible secret garden...

When Sally Berry's son, William, purchased the two-acre site behind her home in Walkden, Salford, Greater Manchester, it was nothing more than a swamp and a dumping ground.

That is until the grandmother got her hands on it. She's now spent a decade transforming the space into a tranquil paradise, blooming with wild plants, animals and it even featuring its own reservoir.

The two-acre plot that was once a dumping ground is now known as 'The Secret Valley'.
MEN

Sally's back garden - which is now known as 'The Secret Valley' - is usually open to the public under the National Garden Scheme where private gardens open their doors/gates/fences all in the name of charity.

This year is obviously a little bit different as the coronavirus pandemic swept across the world, the garden isn't currently open to anyone but Sally who feels incredibly lucky that she is still able to enjoy it.

Sally, who is now in her 80s, would like to reopen her garden if restrictions are eased but is going to see what happens as the government make decisions for the country going forward.

Sally has even appeared on BBC's Gardeners' World.
BBC

Speaking to LADbible, Sally said: "We can't open at the moment. The organisation that handles it (the National Garden Scheme) has cancelled the insurance to save costs. We don't know what's going to happen it's difficult to organise.

"I don't know how they are going to ease this lockdown business. They are saying that people are going to have to keep the distance but I'm not sure how they will do it [in the garden].

"The big supermarkets are alright but I don't know how you would do it in a wild garden when people just want to find things. We have only got narrow paths, I don't want there to be a one-way system because it would ruin the experience."

The animals enjoy the garden.
Facebook/The Secret Valley Walkden
People go to the garden to draw and paint it.
Facebook/The Secret Valley Walkden

Sally explained that the garden has had to take care of itself as she has got older, adding: "I can't manage it on my own, nature is looking after it itself. It's a curated wilderness. Nature has done a marvellous job of looking after it.

"It's very kind of organic in the way that it's just developed. People come expecting all sorts of different plants, some I know and some I say 'well, it's just arrived'."

It's clear to see how much enjoyment she is still getting from her space as she explained: "I;m having a lovely time enjoying the garden. I love it, it's amazing.

"It's marvellous at the moment because everything is coming out and showing off. I want to look at everything very carefully because I think the poor tree doesn't have an audience.

"Normally we would open in June, I think they are hoping we will open later on in the year. The problem is later on there's not much to see. We are just going to see what happens."

You can visit The Secret Valley's Facebook page here.

Featured Image Credit: MEN/Facebook/The Secret Valley Walkden

Topics: UK Community, Garden, Community, UK