The hidden Yorkshire secret garden which offers a "calm oasis" just outside of city centre

In a city with a skyline dominated by the medieval city walls and the famous Minster and with historical monuments such as Clifford’s Tower attracting thousands of visitors, people would be forgiven for never having heard of this quiet place, a couple of miles from the city centre.

But for those who do want to venture off the beaten path, they will find fascinating gardens that staff describe as an “oasis in the city” – with a history that links it to one of York’s best loved confectioners.

The gardens, once owned by chocolatier Noel Terry, are now run by the National Trust, and are about re-open after a winter closure. With spring on the horizon, the five-acre garden is set to bloom with daffodils, tulips, roses and wisteria over the coming weeks.

Mr Longridge said: “We feel it’s like a calm oasis within the city. You can really feel in parts of the garden like you’re out in the countryside.

“You can’t really hear the noise of the road and you’re surrounded by trees and birds singing. It is really quite a serene atmosphere.

“And we hope that it’s like a little hidden retreat for local people and for anyone else who wants to visit to have the chance to unwind a bit, relax and enjoy the garden and the wildlife together.”

Goddards, on Tadcaster Road, was built by Mr Terry for his family in the 1920s. After its completion in 1927, Mr Terry moved in with his wife, Kathleen, and their four children, Peter, Kenneth, Betty and Richard.

The house, which is now home to offices for the National Trust, has vistas over the city’s racecourse to the former Terry’s chocolate factory, which closed in 2005 when production was moved overseas, and was designed in the style of the Arts and Craft movement.

Designed by Walter Brierley, it is described by the National Trust as a “fusion of different styles including Jacobean, Queen Anne, vernacular, neo-Georgian but predominantly Arts and Crafts inspired”.

So it is fitting that the charity uses Goddards as its York headquarters, particularly given the long-lasting connection between the Terry family and the city.

Mr Longridge said: “You can still see the chocolate factory across the racecourse, which was being built at roughly the same time as Goddards.

“It was state-of-the-art for the time. Terry’s is intimately linked to York in terms of both the manufacturing and social history, just like Rowntree’s on the other side of the city.”

As well as formal terraces and herbaceous borders, the gardens at Goddards offer a vital habitat for wildlife.

There is a tennis lawn, a small kitchen garden and glasshouse, with the lower parts of the garden taking on a wilder feel, as a haven for insects and sheltering wildlife.

A fragrant garden was updated several years ago to mirror original plans made between Noel Terry and designer George Dillistone on its construction.

The gardens are open on Thursdays to Sundays inclusive between 11am and 4pm