Houghton Hall Garden Centre
www.strikes.co.uk
Visited on September 21, 2007
Our trip to the Houghton Hall Garden Centre was triggered by an attractive trifold
brochure in one of the Lake District visitor centers. Such delightful synchroncities
were common during our excursions.
Luckliy for us, it was a very pleasant day for walking and the people were especially
helpful and friendly while giving advice for catching the proper bus, etc.
Even though Houghton Hall was a garden centre, its Farm Shop provided some very welcome fresh fruit.
Background
- Location – Houghton Carlisle Cambria. Carlisle is located in the
north west of England and is
home to the Lake District National Park. This country area is known for Hadrian’s Wall, which was built by the Romans,
starting in 122 AD.
- Transportation – We took a train from Manchester to Carlisle. From the train station in Carlisle we took
a bus to a residential area at the last bus stop closest to the centre. We walked a mile along a major highway to
the turn off to the centre. While waiting at the bus stop for the return trip into Carlisle, a local couple pointed out the
Scotland border, a short distance away.
- History – Houghton Hall opened in 2006 at Easter. In the first two weeks, 40,000 people visited this new
centre. Houghton Hall is part of the Scottish-based Klondyke Group Limited which was originally formed in 1980 by the
Gault family. In 1996 they merged with another family-owned garden centre, William Strike Ltd. As of March 2008,
the Klondyde & Strikes group owned 24 garden centres in Wales, Northern England and Scotland. The Houghton Hall
centre is their largest. The opening of this new facility soon adversely affected a smaller independent business near Carlise.
(HOVER HERE for more Houghton Hall History ...)
- Marketing – Klondyke & Strikes Garden Centres are advertised as the UK’s largest family
owned, independent chain of garden centres. Their operating banner is ‘Every Gardener’s Garden Centre.’
By purchasing an annual subscription for 10 pounds, you can obtain a Gardening Club privilege card. This will allow you
to save 10% on all plant purchases and receive free tea and coffee in the Topiary Coffee Shops. A quarterly newsletter
and special members offer are also included.
- Service – Their web site offers garden products for sale and advertises specials. There is a
monthly advice column on the site. Under construction on their web site is a page that will list the core range of
shrubs, trees, and plants that are sold at their centres. Job opportunities with requirements are posted on their site.
The web site also states that the centres regularly hold advice days and gardener's question and answer sessions.
At Houghton Hall the
CUSTOMER SERVICE DESK
is located prominently on the main floor.
Facility
- Structure – This new facility covers 20 acres and is surrounded by flat countryside. It’s
SIZE IS IMPRESSIVE AS YOU APPROACH IT.
The curvature of the outside structures are carried thru the interior of the facility. The
outdoor plant area was created from the original walled kitchen gardens of Houghton Hall. The old walls of the former
walled garden enclose the outdoor area. This centre has three levels with elevator access available. The main level
features the indoor and outdoor plants and gardening products such as tools, chemicals, seasonal products such as bulbs and
bird houses and food. The Customer Service desk, clothing department, gift shop, coffee shop, restaurant, and Farm
Shop are also on the main level. The second level displays garden furniture, conservatory furniture, and accessories.
The basement level has a World in Miniature Museum, The Dolls House Emporium, and Craft Central.
- Access – Houghton Hall is easily accessed by car. The main highway runs directly in front of the centre,
with an access road to a large parking lot. There is no bus stop on the main highway. The interior of the building
and the outside display area is handicapped accessible.
- Appearance – The centre is immaculate inside and out. The pavers are laid in a particularly attractive
diagonal pattern. The wooden benches are designed so that a customer has easy access to pick up plants. The wide isles
(both inside and out) keep the displays from being crowded together.
- Environment – The use of wooden ceiling arches, softens the shopping experience as a country excursion vs. a
department store visit. The wooden arches are also carried through as partial enclosures in various outdoor
areas providing protection from the weather for garden goods.
- Signage
- Interior Signs – Product areas were well marked with directional signs to different department areas placed above
the displays.
- Exterior Signs – Large, bold print signs around the exterior walls and above the benches effectively identified each
product area. This centre had excellent
signage.
- Displays
- Interior Displays – The gift shop is in the front as you enter the building. The gift displays merged into
houseplants for sale. Spring bulbs were prominently displayed in packs hanging on the walls; individual bulbs in
wooden crates as well as in large quantities in mesh bags were nicely presented. Other display areas included bird
products such as birdhouses, food, and bird books. Dog and cat products were available.
- Exterior Displays – An unusual exterior display at this garden center was the wall around the outdoor area that
was built with
WALL POCKETS
to have plants growing in them. The plants were labeled for identification and convenience
for purchase.
Plants
- Indoor Plants – There were lush displays of indoor tropical plants combined with familiar varieties
that we use in the States.
- Outdoor Plants – Klondyke & Strikes operates its own growing nursery and provides its centres
with much of the bedding plants. They state that their buyers obtain the best quality of shrubs, trees, roses,
heathers, alpines, bulbs, bedding and house plants that can be found in the country and continent. The varieties
of azaleas, heathers, and rhododendron were especially impressive.
- Warranty –
WARRANTIES WERE WELL DISPLAYED.
Their plant guarantee is “all trees, shrubs,
conifers, and hardy nursery stock are guaranteed to grow. Should any plant die within 2 years of purchase, they
will be replaced free of charge. This guarantee is subject to proof of purchase and planting and care instructions
being followed.
- Quality of Plants – There was an excellent selection of well-maintained and healthy plants available
for fall planting. I was impressed with the selection of well-grown fruit trees currently bearing fruit. The
CORONET APPLES
were particularly delicious (personal testimony).
Merchandise
- Gifts – The gift shop provided selections suitable for weddings, baby showers, birthdays
and other occasions. Through customer service, gift vouchers and wedding list services were available. Books,
greeting cards, collectables, silk flowers, glassware, and candles were also in the gift shop.
- Food – The
FARM SHOP
carried fresh fruits, vegetables, and free-range eggs. Specialty
jams, pickles, spices, candies were attractively displayed. Wines and specialty beers were carried. They advertised
an in-house bakery, providing breads, cakes and scones. Cheddar, goat and sheep cheeses were available. The
fresh lamb and Galloway beef was from their own family farms. They also carried local pork and game in the meat
department.
- Restaurant – The Topiary Coffee Shop and Restaurant provided a home cooked menu of meals
and desserts. They used fresh produce from the Farm Shop. They had outdoor seating, which was close by the
children’s play area. The Topiary Coffee Shop is in 15 of the Klondyke & Strikes Garden Centres.
- Seasonal – They advertise Christmas displays from October through December. Their
web site provides up-to-date information on holiday activities at each garden centre.
- Clothing – There was a clothing shop for men and women, providing leisure and traveling clothes and
shoes from the Tayberry, Tulchan,
and Rohan Companies.
- Furniture – There was a variety of hardwood outdoor furniture such as picnic tables,
chairs and tables, and pond bridges. Furniture styles ranged from cane and wicker to glass and aluminum, cast, metal,
and tubular steel. Pavilion tents for parties were also displayed. Conservatory furniture was displayed on the
second floor as well as in the conservatories.
- Stoneware – There were water fountains, bird baths, large decorative stoneware for
outdoor gardens, and garden ornaments.
- Gardening – Garden hardware
such as tools, garden boot and gloves had a separate display area as well as lawn care products.
- Aquatics – They had a varied selection of aquatic plants. A large display above
the plants showed pictures of the plants in bloom. The plants were labeled according to zones which
CORRESPOND TO THE DEPTH
that they are to be planted in the water garden. They carried additional accessories necessary for creating
and maintaining waters gardens.
- Structures – This centre featured a particularly impressive selection of conservatories.
This was the only garden centre where we saw hot tubs for sale. We did not see any glass greenhouses or outdoor sheds for
sale. They carried a tent-type of heavy plastic greenhouse with heaters. There were some nice rabbit hutches, a
common item in UK garden centres.
- Landscaping/Hardscaping – They carried a nice selection of large rockery, boulders,
stepping and paving stones. They carried decorative fencing material of various designs as well as fence stains.
- Flower Shop – I did not see a fresh florist department on site. Silk flowers were
available for purchase near the gift shop area.
Ecology
- Recycling – Klondyke & Strikes advertise that if you purchase your Christmas tree from them,
you can return it to them for recycling and receive a 5-pound gift voucher. However, Houghton Hall was not listed
as one of the centres that was participating in the project.