The National Herb Centre

The National Herb Centre

We are more than just a garden centre as we provide something for everyone for a great day out. You will find an extensive range of herb plants to delight the chef, intrigue the gardener and fascinate anyone with an interest in herbal remedies or alternative medicine. Surrounded by more than 125 acres of farmland and woods, visitors can enjoy a walk along one of the trails, browse the shop with its eclectic mix of gifts, garden ornaments, summer and autumn grown seasonal produce, pet toys and treats, bird seed and much, much more.

And after browsing the many herbaceous plants and shrubs, follow the path with the children through the overhanging wisteria, clematis and honeysuckle to the play area at the far end, or take a seat outside the popular Café Bistro for a drink and a bite to eat whilst taking in the mesmerising, far-reaching views across the countryside.

The National Herb Centre was established in 1997 by Peter Turner (a former Chairman of the British Herb Trade Association), with the aim of providing everyone with an opportunity to see, enjoy and learn about herbs.

At the time, nobody was carrying out any research to develop the industry and he took it upon himself to build the centre to undertake projects required by the industry. The name was chosen with the full support of the British Herb Trade Association.

He employed a doctor of science with long experience in horticulture and an agronomist. A wide range of projects were undertaken including selecting and examining herbs which it was felt had potential for UK production, and could compete or improve on the quality of imported produces. Growing requirements to provide consistency results were established, and while working with the engineering industry, harvesting and processing equipment was developed. Various institutes were approached to obtain funding for the work.

In recent years projects have been undertaken by universities and government bodies and funding has been drastically cut back, and as a result this research work is no longer carried out here at the centre. The Garden Centre and Café Bistro were built to add additional income to keep the business viable and is now run by his two sons.

One of the major research projects involved investigations into the properties of Rosemary and trials were carried out using a huge variety of different species of this herb, many of which can be found around the centre today.