The US actress, who took time out from her role as Aurora in Terms of Endearment at York Theatre Royal, said the garden, at the Four High Petergate hotel, was a delight.

"Discovering all the history and charm of York these last few weeks has been a real pleasure and this lovely English garden is a wonderful addition to the city," she said.

Four High Petergate was bought by the York-based hospitality group de Bretton at the end of August and the new owners decided on a garden makeover in time for a wedding held on Saturday.

Garden designer Marney Hall, who has won gold medals at Chelsea Flower Show and Hampton Court, oversaw the project.

Her design entailed building two new walls, laying York stone, constructing a wooden pergola and replanting the borders.

Ms Hall brought in traditional English plants, including roses, lavender and herbs, to match the property, which dates from the 1750s and overlooks the Minster and city walls.

"The setting blows my mind," Ms Hall said. "But I think we've done it justice. We've created a wonderfully ambient space."

Foreman of de Bretton contracting Graham
Mainwaring said: "My team worked flat out in difficult conditions to bring this off. I'm proud of them."

It was finished in time for Four High Petergate to host the wedding of Heidi Breeze and Michael Garthwaite, of Wakefield, West Yorkshire.

The bride's father Allan Breeze said: "I watched them working on it while I was writing my speech. It was better than Ground Force. The only thing that was missing was Alan Titchmarsh."