Chorlton Community Garden
The Friends of Chorlton Community Garden team is working to restore and re-open this special green oasis on busy Manchester Road, next to Chorlton Library. This has been a rather long drawn-out process for this group of volunteers! Following community consultations and input from landscape architects in 2022, we had a wonderful design to implement and were ready to start fundraising. However we were required to seek planning permission for the works because the garden is in the curtilage of the library, a Grade II listed building. We obtained this in July 2023 but were not able to commence the refurbishment due to upcoming work on the library building itself. This is finally finished in Spring 2025 (a phenomenal job - do visit!). We raised funds for the first phase, clearing and surfacing the ground with golden self-binding gravel. This environmentally friendly surfacing is used in many National Trust sites for its durability and accessibility for wheelchair users.
We are now awaiting news of submitted bids, and seeking sponsors for different elements of the gardens. If you are a local business that would like to help with, say, buying a bench, planter or water butt, please get in touch with Danielle or Carolyn. We are also looking for groups that would like to adopt the care of a planters including wildflowers, edibles, fruit tree care and a small edible forest garden.
By the way, despite not being able to fully refurbish and officially open the garden, since 2021, we have held a number of events in the garden as well as caring for its existing trees and plants. You can read about our Space to Grow project supporting new vegetable growers in 2023 here - report to the lottery for Together for Our Planet funding.
If you would like to get involved, please email secretary@chorltoncivicsociety.org
Do read and sign up for the Chorlton Community Garden newsletter.
Edible forest gardening
Find out more about our thriving mini forest garden, a system for growing annual fruit and veg in layers with its own varied ecosystem.
Chorlton Community Garden is on Manchester Road in Chorlton, between the Sedge Lynn Pub and Chorlton Library. It used to be a public toilet! The garden was open to the public from around 2014 but then fell into a state of disrepair during closure times of Covid when it couldn't be looked after. A group of volunteers including individuals and people from organisations like Chorlton Voice, Chorlton Arts Festival Chorlton Plant Swap & Gardening Advice, Chorlton Community Land Trust and others are working to get the space cleared and re-designed. We welcome anyone who can bring time, skills or expertise to the group.
Email Carolyn at chair@chorltonvoice.org. to find out how to get involved so the garden can hopefully be reopened to the community.
Get involved in different aspects of caring for the community garden
Visit the garden
Manchester Road next to Chorlton Library M21 9PN. Closed for health & safety reasons, refurb underway.