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Fairfield Open Yardens Weekend – Saturday
June 21 @ 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM
On the afternoons of Saturday 21 June and Sunday 22 June, a total of 23 different yardens (gardens and yards) will be open to the public. The theme is “yardening for wildlife”.
Yardens to visit on Saturday
There are 12 yardens to visit on Saturday. Details of each are listed below.
Tickets
A single ticket cost £6 and gives you access to all yardens on both days. You can buy tickets online now and also in person on the day. Under 16s have free entry.
All ticket sale proceeds go to the Fairfield Association
Refreshments
Tea and refreshments are available at two of the locations. They are listed below and also on the map.
Thoughts and comments
When you have visited the yardens, we would love to hear what you thought about the weekend.
Click anywhere on the map to open it. When open, tap the red markers for more information. Tap the target icon in the top left to track your location.
13 Regent Street, LA1 1SG
Back yard in Victorian terrace.
Features
- Established climbers and perennials chosen for pollinator-friendliness and a long flowering season
- Walls and raised beds full of niches for invertebrates
- Invertebrate hotel, small deadwood pile
- Birdbath, nest boxes
- Hedgehog access and hibernation spot
Access
Via alley between Regent and Portland streets.
The alley is wide but has uneven cobbles. The gate to the yard is 75cm wide without a step. The yard is paved.
Carr House Farm, LA1 1SW
Very large garden hidden away at the end of Carr House Lane.
Features
- Several very different areas and styles.
- Large secluded pond full of frogs and newts.
- Hundreds of mature trees.
- Wide variety of nesting birds (including finches, thrushes and jays)
- Plants for pollinators.
Access
Through the main gates at the end of Carr House Lane, just under the railway bridge.
2 Sylvester Street, LA1 5DG
End terrace back yard with a lot of light.
Features
- Wide variety of plants attractive to bees and other insects.
Access
Via back alley.
The alley has large, even cobbles. There is a 20cm step to the back yard. The gate is 80cm wide. The yard itself is flat concrete.
12 Sylvester Street, LA1 5DG
Court-yarden.
Features
- Mediterranean feel in Lancaster
- Variety of pots and climbing flowers
- Rain shelter if needed!.
Access
Via back alley.
The alley has large, even cobbles. There is a 25cm step to the back yard. The gate is 80cm wide. The yard itself is flat.
40 Sibsey Street, LA1 5DF
Back yarden.
Features
- Every corner full of flowers, plants and vegetables
- A crab apple tree
- A Hotbin
- Water butt
- A ‘pond’ in a plastic half barrel
Access
Through the ginnel at the back of the houses.
The gate to the yard is 80cm. There is no step and the yard is paved.
28 Lincoln Road, LA1 5DN
Back yarden.
Features
- Two walls have climbing plants: honeysuckle, jasmine, and clematis
- Narrow raised beds with wild garlic and a simple rose supported by a trellis
- Six trees in large containers
- Many pots and containers with various flowers in season
- Strawberries and some vegetables
Access
From the back via the alley running between Lincoln Road and Wingate-Saul Rd.
The alley is wide and made of flat stones. The gate to the yard is 75cm wide with a small 5cm step. The yard itself is concrete and flat.
Luneside & Rosebank Bowling & Recreation Club, Fairfield Close, LA1 5NT
Luneside is the oldest bowling club in the area (1831) and is an oasis of peace and tranquillity close to the city centre. Whilst we play on a lawn-like green there is an ongoing project to ‘green up’ the surrounds.
Features
- Established flower beds
- Planters of wild flowers
- Bird boxes
- A bug hotel
Access
As you enter Fairfield Close, off Fairfield Road, there is a ginnel on the left which leads to the bowling club.
The passage is wide and flat and at the end there is a short ramp up to the green.
Whitegates, Sunnyside Lane, LA1 5NH
Tea & refreshments
Front garden.
Features
- Borders round lawn cut only twice a year
- Wildflowers
- Hedgehog feeder and hibernation box
Access
At the front of the house.
There are no gates and no steps. There is a wide, flat tarmac path from the pavement to the garden.
7 Truman Avenue, LA1 5EP
An ordinary suburban garden trying to encourage wildlife.
Features
- Two ponds
- Beech hedge
- Nectar bearing bedding plants
- Hedgehog holes
- Bird boxes and feeders
- A new wildflower patch
Access
Through gate by front door.
There are no steps, and there is a flat, even surface. The minimum width of path and gates is 75 cm.
36 Cromwell Road, LA1 5BD
Medium-sized garden.
Features
- Palmate newts and frogs from Lucy Brook origin
- Majestic beech tree
- Native species plants where possible
Access
Round the back of the houses via the grass track from either Aldcliffe Road or the far end of Cromwell Road by the nature reserve.
The gate to the garden is 1.1m wide and the garden itself is mainly rough ground.
16 Cromwell Road, LA1 5BD
Tea & refreshments
Medium garden in three distinct sections.
Features
- Area for shady plants
- Water features, including Belfast sink, half-barrel, two ponds with newts
- Hedgehog feeding & hibernation boxes
- Wormery
- Bat and bird boxes
- Mini wildflower lawn
Access
Round the back of the houses via the grass track from either Aldcliffe Road or the far end of Cromwell Road by the nature reserve.
Gates into the garden on either side of alley are about 80cm wide.
121 Aldcliffe Road, LA1 5BE
A front and back garden, a bank along the side, and a secret area backing onto the house. Overgrown when bought from a skilful plantswoman, the garden is a “work in progress”.
Features
- Trees
- Pond
- Wild-flower area
- Greenhouse
- Vegetable plots
- Log pile
Access
At the front of the house.
A 1m wide path takes you up to the front garden. A wide, slightly uneven asphalt drive leads directly down the side of the house to the back garden. There are no steps.
Open Yardens Thoughts and Comments
We would love to hear your thoughts about the Fairfield Open Yardens Weekend. Anyone can comment. No login required.
Go to the Open Yardens comments.
Wildlife gardening tips
If you feel inspired, you can find some useful advice on the following webpages.
- For some tips from the Royal Horticultural Socety on wildlife-friendly gardening see Garden wildlife / RHS Gardening / RHS Gardening.
- For a Lancaster University bee-friendly nest innovation see News Item – help give homes to bumblebees with the beebox
- To help hedgehogs see Helpful garden features – Hedgehog Street
- Try a mini-pond Making a Mini Wildlife Pond: Small Wildlife Pond Ideas
- Make your yarden better for birds How To Attract Birds To Your Garden – Woodland Trust