It was a grey, cloudy, and overcast morning as we left home for the Harrogate Autumn Flower show at Newby Hall on the outskirts of Ripon, overnight rain had left the ground quite damp, but otherwise it ended being a very pleasant dry day with intermittent sunny periods. 

The annual three-day event is organised by the North of England Horticultural Society, and aims to show and celebrate the very best of horticulture including the skill, creativity, and dedication of the growers all of which was clearly evident on our visit today. 

It was just after 9.30am as we parked the car in the designated car park and made our way to the entrance. After having our tickets scanned and getting our bearings we headed into the food hall for a browse, the smell of freshly baked pastries certainly wetted the appetite, there was everything foody wise to tempt you from huge displays of cheese, pastries, olives and spices, pizzas, as well as jars of homemade honey, jam, and marmalade and much more. Despite the temptations we restrained from purchasing anything for the time being but decided to call in just before we left later in the day. Continuing along the East Avenue we passed lots of trade stalls and clothing outlets as well as local charities busily promoting their good causes on the unsuspecting visitors. We popped in to the huge ‘Incredible Edible Marquee’ for a look, the first display that caught our eye was a display of giant carrots, onions, marrows, pumpkins and beetroot, the carrots and beetroot especially were so large they looked quite grotesque, there were some pretty large onions too. Continuing our browse, there were some beautiful displays of fruit and vegetables in wicker punnets that looked attractive, along with fine displays of tomato’s, carrots, and apples. Leaving the marquee, we continued along the Main Avenue to the main house. Newby Hall is one of Britain’s finest Adam Houses, and the family home of Mr & Mrs Richard Compton, and a fine example of 18th century interior decoration. Built in the 1690s by Sir Christopher Wren the house was later enlarged and adapted by John Carr and subsequently Robert Adam. As we approached the entrance a pair of stone dogs were sat either side of the door along with two fine floral arrangements. On entry into the spacious Main Entrance Hall, the first thing that strikes you is the beautiful decorative motifs on the walls and ceiling by the skilled stuccoist Joseph Rose. The large Chamber Organ on the left was designed by James A Start, and made by Thomas Hardy of York. The tables and chairs were by Thomas Chippendale. A central floral display catches the eye as you enter the hall as well as several sunflower arrangements placed around the room and on the Adams fire surround. Continuing our short tour of the house the Tapestry living room oozes quality, the English Axminster carpet and ceiling were both designed by Adam and Thomas Chippendale who were commissioned to provide the sofas and chairs, specifically to fit around the room under the tapestries. Passing through the Hallway we got a glimpse of what was originally the dining room, but in 1807 became the library, again the original design was by Robert Adams with the rich fancy plaster work by Joseph Rose, it certainly is a cosy and beautiful room, if allowed I could have spent many hours here just browsing through all the books. The Statue Gallery next door houses some fine Roman statues, I was told that Newby has probably the finest collection of Roman statues in private hands in this country which consists mainly of a mixture of Roman pieces from the first century BC to the second century AD, with a few eighteenth-century copies. Before leaving the house, we passed through the beautiful Circular room, again full of Roman statues and beautiful floral arrangements. What an absolute treat. Continuing outside we made our way around the side of the house and back down the Main Avenue, turning right onto the West Avenue where we enjoyed a very nice hot roll and coffee, sat outside in the sunshine, after which we headed across the pathway to the Flower show farm. We, along with several other visitors had a very pleasant thirty minutes or so stroking and feeding a pair of Donkeys, a miniature foal, a Llama, a pair of sheep and a pair of Goats, how therapeutic was that! Leaving the animals we continued looking at many of the plant and trade stands, one bulb trader had several baskets full of huge Amaryllis bulbs, some the size of Mellons, along with more averaged size Hyacinth, Daffodill and Crocus bulbs. Continuing along main avenue we headed into the Grand Floral Pavilion, and one of several highlights of the show, full of lots of beautiful floral arrangements and displays. The Dalias on display looked stunning, the symmetry and shape of the flower heads reminded me of a bee’s honeycomb, others the size of footballs and covering such a wide spectrum of colours, of particular merit was a display of Dalias with the centre piece being a bride in a white wedding dress. Several other display that caught my eye were the displays of Roses, Cacti and Alpines. On leaving the Grand Pavilion we headed back outside for another coffee and found a seat around the bandstand listening to a selection of live music from the Ripon Brass Band. By mid-afternoon we decided to head for home, but first we called in on the Food Pavillion and purchase several savouries which caught our eye when we first arrived. After looking at several other outdoor stalls selling fancy outdoor furniture we headed back to the car park and the journey home.