A seven acre Winter Garden, said to be the largest of its kind in the UK, has been opened at the National Trust's Dunham Massey property in Cheshire.

It was created in response to visitor requests for access to Dunham Massey's gardens during the normal closed season of November - March. The area occupied by the new garden was originally part of Dunham's deer park, which - at the turn of the 20th century - was fenced off to provide enclosed grazing for the resident Stamford family's ponies.

When the National Trust acquired Dunham Massey in 1976, the paddock had become overgrown, so the area was tidied and re-stocked. However, by 2007, trees and shrubs had once again taken over. Clearing work started in June 2007 and lasted six months. The original woodland feel of the area was maintained by keeping some of the large oak and beech trees, several species of rhododendrons, pieris, bluebells, azaleas and hollies.

400m of new pathways were laid and wood from thinning some of the established oak trees in the paddock was reclaimed and used elsewhere on the Dunham estate. The garden's design and its planting schemes were planned with guidance from leading UK plantsman, Roy Lancaster, OBE working in conjunction with Dunham's own garden staff.

The garden contains almost 700 different plant species and a further 1,600 shrubs were specifically bred for the Winter Garden. All had to have at least two of a range of characteristics including winter bark, flower, fruit, autumn colour or scent and sound. More than 200,000 bulbs were planted as part of the project, Head Gardener Damian Harris and his team of gardeners benefiting from the help of 1,500 local schoolchildren, National Trust volunteers, members and visitors.