Description:Pictured is the front cover of a brochure produced for the opening of Wolseley Garden Park on 1 May 1990. The photograph was taken in the estate's former walled kitchen garden which was transformed for the opening of the Garden Park into a rose garden with 4,500 roses.
The Wolseley family had lived on the estate since Norman times. In the eighteenth century Wolseley Hall was rebuilt, but burned down in the 1950s. The estate remained derelict until 1990, when the gardens were restored as Wolseley Garden Park.
Wolseley Garden Park was bordered by the river Trent and on the site were a several ponds and a lake. In addition to the rose garden there was a series of themed gardens which included a scented garden, cathedral garden, dell garden, winter garden, bog garden with a raised board walk and a water garden. There were also plans (which never materialised) to create an American colonial garden, a Bridal garden, gold garden, silver garden, bark garden, spring garden, variegated garden, purple garden and a cherry orchard.
Around 1989 an adjacent part of the estate became home to a large retail Garden Centre. Later it was reported in The Telegraph newspaper that Wolseley Garden Park which opened in 1990 only earned around £30,000 during the first year and closed soon after.
Following the closure the estate was sold and the walled garden redeveloped into private housing. The Garden Centre continues and the rest of the site became home to Staffordshire Wildlife Trust.