Our History

Established in 1948, Gordale was one of the first Garden centres in Britain. Harold and Joyce Nicholson bought the property, whilst working on a farm in Wiltshire.

Their first view of Gordale was from a motorbike and sidecar with their six ducks! Their cows followed on the train and were walked from Hooton station to Gordale.

Initially Gordale was a small holding, producing goods for the local markets and its own cafe. In fact the cafe was famous for its chicken salads, a luxury with the rationing of WW2.

In 1949, not long after purchasing Gordale, Harold and Joyce decided to sell Gordale at auction and start a new life in Canada. On the day of the auction many bids were received but they failed to meet the reserve price set by the Nicholsons by just £50. It was decided that they would stay and make a go of it. Over the years trade increased to the point that goods had to be bought in to supplement those produced on site. 

With increased interest in gardening the number of lines sold rapidly increased to in excess of 20,000 and are now sourced worldwide.

In 1979 their son Peter joined the company after studying horticulture for 5 years in England and Holland. Peter brought many new ideas and with the help of his staff, Gordale expanded rapidly.

Today, over 60 years later, Gordale is at the forefront of garden centre retailing and never a company to stand still, has plans in the pipe line!