Carr Gate Garden Centre

The story of the British Garden Centres begins in the sleepy Lincolnshire village of Woodthorpe, the home of our company founders, Charles and Robert Stubbs. Charles started the business whilst still at school - he sold seedlings and Leylandii to neighbours and passers-by from a stall at the end of their drive. Through hard work, determination and drive, the business grew with Woodthorpe Garden Centre, being their first garden centre, opening in 1987. The business flourished under the ownership of Charles and brother Robert, becoming famous for, amongst other things, huge sales of compost to keen gardeners from all over the region. Over the years, the brothers’ reputation grew out far and wide. They were featured on the local news program Calendar for their entrepreneurial skills.

The business at Woodthorpe grew and, with the addition of Brigg Garden Centre, the company’s reputation for quality and value began to spread. Further centres were added, and the company became known as the British Garden Centres Group. Since 2018 the company has grown at a rate even faster than Charles and Robert could ever have imagined and now has 60 centres around the country. Their ambition to have a British Garden Centre within easy reach of everyone in the UK really is starting to take shape! As the number of centres has grown so has the number of people in the team. The family are delighted that the next generation is now working in the business. Whatever challenges the world may throw at us we will remain true to our founding principles – great plants and products all year round, first-class service delivered by a wonderful team and all at affordable prices. We hope you love our centres as much as we do.