Damage to roses was premeditated, says gardener

Staff at an estate said they had been left "baffled" after a collection of roses was damaged during a spate of "premeditated" vandalism.

Stems from the collection at the 15th Century Mannington Hall, near Aylsham in Norfolk, were recently cut at the base, destroying this year's flowers.

Alan Power, the head of landscape and gardens at the site, said: "This isn't mischievous, its somebody who's come in, who knows what they're doing with sharp secateurs or loppers."

Norfolk Police said it had received a report of the incident and was investigating.

Mannington Hall's rose collection was planted in the 1980s and included rambling, shrub and climbing varieties.

The damage was noticed when the new growth began to wilt.

Power said the whole gardening team were upset and the hall's management has offered a £5,000 reward for information that leads to those responsible being apprehended.

He said: "These plants don't hurt anyone, they just provide entertainment, they provide beauty in a garden.

"I can't understand why somebody would maliciously damage plants that are just there to provide beauty."

He said he had worked in historical gardens for 30 years and had never seen anything so "targeted".

Mannington Hall is currently undergoing an extensive renovation after being purchased in 2025 by the Ellis family, who also own the nearby Wolterton Estate.

David Horton-Fawkes, the estate's chief executive, said security would be stepped up on the site.

"I'm baffled to be honest with you," he said. "It's not as if this place is suddenly being closed to people, actually quite the reverse.

"We're inviting more people to come and enjoy this place and we're investing a huge amount of money, the Ellis family, in restoring these two estates so it's fantastic news.

"We're employing literally hundreds of local craftspeople and to do something like this just seems deranged frankly."

Horton-Fawkes said the damage to the gardens was the latest incident of "interference" on the estate.

In one incident, he said oil that had been providing fuel to a holiday cottage was turned off.

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