Gunby Hall & Gardens
Gunby Hall, Gunby, near Spilsby, Lincolnshire, PE23
Gunby Hall is a red-brick house of 1700 on the edge of the Lincolnshire Wolds, owned by the National Trust, with eight acres of Victorian walled gardens, old fruit varieties and roses.
Visit information checked 22 October 2026
Garden UK guide
Why visit Gunby Hall & Gardens?
Gunby Hall stands at the end of a half-mile private drive on the edge of the Lincolnshire Wolds, about eight miles from Skegness. It is the house Tennyson had in mind when he wrote of "a haunt of ancient peace", and the gardens still have that settled, unhurried feel. The big draw for gardeners is eight acres of Victorian walled gardens filled with traditional English flowers, fruit and vegetables.
The gardens are laid out in an informal English style, with large walled and kitchen gardens, lawns, an arboretum and a carp pond thought to be older than the house itself. Fruit lovers can look for some 50 kinds of apple tree and 21 of pear, and there are over 50 types of rose. Along the way you will pass a 17th-century dovecote, a grass tennis court and a croquet lawn, an apple store and a studio. The path beside the pond is known as the Ghost Walk, after a local legend. Beyond the formal gardens is a 100-acre park in the style of Capability Brown.
The walled gardens are the place to pick up ideas: they show how fruit, vegetables and flowers can share space in a productive but good-looking way, and the range of apple and pear varieties is useful if you are choosing trees for your own plot. St Peter's Church, rebuilt on medieval foundations in the 1870s, is reached only through the hall's gardens and is still the parish church.
What to see
- Eight acres of Victorian walled gardens with traditional flowers, fruit and vegetables.
- Around 50 kinds of apple tree, 21 of pear and over 50 types of rose.
- The carp pond, believed to be older than the hall, and the Ghost Walk beside it.
- A 17th-century dovecote in the gardens.
- St Peter's Church, reached only through the hall's gardens.
Gunby Hall & Gardens through the year
- spring
- Fruit blossom in the walled gardens is the highlight, with the lawns and arboretum coming into fresh leaf.
- summer
- The roses and herbaceous planting in the walled gardens are at their best, and the vegetable beds are in full swing.
- autumn
- Apple and pear trees carry their fruit, and the arboretum adds autumn colour.
- winter
- A quiet season to see the bones of the walled gardens; check the National Trust website for winter opening.
The story behind the garden
Gunby Hall was built in 1700 for Sir William Massingberd, 2nd Baronet, on the site of a small manor house that had belonged to a family called Gunby. His nephew William Meux-Massingberd added the stable block in 1735, and the house was extended in 1873 and again in 1898 with a north wing and clock tower. The estate once stretched to the coast at what is now Skegness, and land sold in the 19th century helped the Earl of Scarbrough build that town.
The hall passed down the Langton and Massingberd family to Lady Montgomery-Massingberd. In 1944 she and her husband, Field Marshal Sir Archibald Montgomery-Massingberd, with fellow trustee Major Norman Leith-Hay-Clarke, gave the house, its contents and some 1,500 acres to the National Trust, which now opens it to visitors.
Plan your visit
- Best for
- Kitchen gardeners and fruit growers, rose lovers and anyone who enjoys a peaceful, old-fashioned country house garden.
- Getting there
- Gunby Hall is near Spilsby on the edge of the Lincolnshire Wolds, about eight miles from Skegness, reached along a half-mile drive.
- Before you go
- Combine the walled gardens with a stroll to the church and the park. Check the National Trust website for current opening times and tickets.
Source: Wikipedia: Gunby Hall
Questions about visiting Gunby Hall & Gardens
Is Gunby Hall National Trust?
Yes. Gunby Hall was given to the National Trust in 1944 by Lady Montgomery-Massingberd, her husband and a fellow trustee, together with its contents and around 1,500 acres of land.
What did Tennyson say about Gunby Hall?
Tennyson, whose home at Somersby is not far away, is said to have had Gunby in mind when he wrote the phrase "a haunt of ancient peace". The quiet gardens still suit the description.
What is in the walled garden at Gunby Hall?
There are eight acres of Victorian walled gardens with traditional English flowers, fruit and vegetables. Look for around 50 kinds of apple tree, 21 of pear and more than 50 types of rose.
When is the best time to visit Gunby Hall gardens?
Late spring brings fruit blossom, summer is best for the roses and borders, and autumn shows off the apples and pears. Each season shows a different side of the walled gardens.
Is Gunby Hall haunted?
Local legend says so. A tale tells of a servant shot by Sir William Massingberd and thrown into the pond, and the path by the pond is still called the Ghost Walk.
Garden features
Location
Gunby Hall, Gunby, near Spilsby, Lincolnshire, PE23
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