Barnsdale Gardens were designed by Geoff Hamilton, who presented BBC Gardener's World from 1979 until his death in 1996. Barnsdale was a Victorian farmhouse with 5 acres of pastureland when he found the property in 1984. Hamilton was interested in making gardening affordable by offering practical ideas for gardeners to recreate at home and encouraging the inventive reuse of materials. The gardens include a rose garden, Japanese garden, rock garden, knot garden, kitchen garden, bog garden and orchard.