The best British gardens and sculpture parks to visit this Easter

Chloë Ashby uncovers the best spots to enjoy sculpture, art activities and tulips galore

Spring has sprung and gardens around the UK are positively blooming. All that’s left to do is to decide which one to visit this Easter. Read on for our recommendations, from a stroll among the vast abstract forms of one of Britain’s best-loved sculptors to a turn around a kaleidoscopic seasonal floral display. Plus, family fun at a historic stately home and a healthy dose of the great outdoors in the city.

Henry Moore, Large Two Forms, 1966-69. Reproduced by permission of The Henry Moore Foundation. Courtesy Yorkshire Sculpture Park. Photo © Jonty Wilde

Yorkshire Sculpture Park

There’s plenty on offer at Europe’s largest sculpture park, which welcomes traditional gallery goers, international art fans, dog walkers and visitors who simply want to soak up the rich and varied scenery. Current exhibitions include Robert Indiana: Sculpture 1958–2018, which traces the American artist’s development throughout his 60-year career, and David Nash: Full Circle, dedicated to the British sculptor’s sometimes colourful, sometimes smoky drawings inspired by trees. All that plus an Easter special: this year families are invited to collect a complimentary bag of ideas and creative challenges from the ArtCart, inspired by the park’s sculptures and green surroundings.

ysp.org.uk

The Flybrary by Christina Sporrong

Chatsworth

The family fun to be had at Chatsworth this Easter includes a hunt for hidden chocolate eggs, arts and crafts sessions, and a trip to the farmyard to meet and feed the lambs. The 1,000 acres of parkland surrounding the stately home are also currently playing host to Radical Horizons: The Art of Burning Man at Chatsworth, a sprawling exhibition inspired by the annual coming together of artists in Nevada’s Black Rock Desert. The dozen monumental sculptures on show include Christina Sporrong’s The Flybrary, an extraordinary steel head crowned with a flock of book-like birds, and Adrian Landon’s Wings of Glory, a mechanical horse with gleaming metallic wings.

chatsworth.org

Firmament by Antony Gormley. Photo Allan Pollok-Morris. Courtesy Jupiter Artland

Jupiter Artland

From Derbyshire to a beloved patch of land between Glasgow and Edinburgh. Jupiter Artland reopens for outdoor walks on 14 April, just in time for the Easter weekend. Wander through the green and pleasant grounds, which are home to an array of permanent artworks; keep an eye out for creations such as Phyllida Barlow’s concrete-and-steel trunk-like columns, a spidery steel body by Antony Gormley, and a curved metal chute surrounded by a square cage by Anish Kapoor. Children are invited to take part in a series of Artsparks sessions that involve creating, playing and making connections with nature. 

jupiterartland.org

Palm House at sunset. Credit RBG Kew

KEW GARDENS

Come and catch the tail end of Israeli artist Zadok Ben-David’s first solo show in the UK: Natural Reserve, which runs until 24 April, explores the fragility of the natural world, and our fraught relationship with it, through more than 17,000 etched, hand-painted flowers. Also on show, as always, is Kew’s vast and varied London landscape, which ranges from classic woodland and the tree-filled Arboretum to the carefully maintained Japanese gardens and the Rock Garden, a striking valley home to wild-collected plants. Plus, for children, The Very Hungry Caterpillar trail awaits.

kew.org

Forde Abbey

Head to this historic house in the rolling hills of Somerset for a splash of colour this Easter. Last autumn, the gardeners at Forde Abbey spent weeks planting 45,000 tulip bulbs, which this spring have emerged in myriad shapes, sizes and hues. The so-called Tulip Extravaganza is on display from 15 April until 15 May and showcases 35 varieties, from ‘White Prince’ and ‘Rosalie’ to ‘Sweet Heart’ and ‘Carnival de Rio’. And while you’re there, why not check out the rest of the gardens, which have steadily evolved over the centuries and feature a rather spectacular fountain and topiary-lined vistas.

fordeabbey.co.uk

Henry Moore, Large Reclining Figure, 1984. Photo Jonty Wilde

Henry Moore Studios & Gardens

Nothing says spring like the sound of bleating lambs, and if you’re lucky you might just find some among the resident flock of sheep at the Henry Moore Studios & Gardens near the village of Much Hadham. After wandering around the gardens and fields, where you’ll find more than 20 of the beloved British sculptor’s vast abstract forms, drop by Henry Moore: The Sixties. Bringing together sculptures, drawings and graphics, this recently opened exhibition traces the evolution of Moore’s work and ideas during this exciting decade of his career when he embraced new materials, formats and techniques.

henry-moore.org