Bolton Castle, the beautifully preserved Medieval castle near Leyburn in North Yorkshire, opens a new garden on 24 June 2026. It has been created in loving remembrance of the life of Harry, The 8th Lord Bolton, who died of cancer in 2023 following a brave fight with the disease.
The Cancer Garden was the idea of gardener Elizabeth Carter who has looked after the planting in the castle’s Herb Garden for several years. It is an homage to historical plants that were known to be used to offer some relief for a range of diseases in a time of predominantly herbal medicines. The new physic bed is aimed at raising awareness of the historic treatments of cancer. It has taken Elizabeth over 20 months of meticulous research and planning. She was also keen to complement the other planting in the herb garden, all of which has been strictly based on the period of time from when the castle was built in the 14th century up to the end of the 16th century.
Tom, Lord Bolton says “Dad re-instated the gardens at Bolton Castle and always loved talking to Elizabeth about them and I was very touched when she suggested a cancer garden in remembrance of him. With her encyclopedic knowledge of herbal medicine, Elizabeth has done an amazing job of ensuring the plants tell the story of the origins of many remedies, which tie in with the history of the castle. Tragically, too many people are affected by this awful disease and we would like to use the opportunity to highlight the work of Herriot Hospice, who gave both Dad and Elizabeth’s father wonderful care in their last weeks of life. Head Gardener, Jason Hanslip, who played a part in creating the garden and I am proud to have been able to work on this with Elizabeth and the team and open the garden today to our visitors.”
The garden is located in the south eastern walled garden, sheltered beneath the castle’s stone walls. The garden will develop over time as the plants mature and add colour and interest and include plants such as Madonna Lily and Hyacinth – both connected with remembrance as well as cancer.
