Welcome to The Pinery

The Pinery Gift Shop & Pantry is located at The Alnwick Garden in Northumberland.

The Pinery stocks a fine selection of arts & crafts, horticultural items and food & drink from local producers.

A Pinery is a type of hot house used to grow pineapples in colder climates. This method of cultivation was invented and honed by gardeners in the UK throughout the Georgian and  Victorian periods.

During this time the pineapple was not only a representation of an owners’ wealth, but also a testimony to their gardeners’ skill and experience.

THE ALNWICK PINEAPPLE

The Alnwick Garden has a long history with the tropical fruit. During the excavations and building recording which took place in the year 2000, six previous gardens were found on-site and all of them accommodated multiple hot houses.

The success of the pineapple growing at Alnwick is demonstrated by a bundle of letters in Alnwick Castle’s archives by Thomas Smith, Head Gardener at the time.

From 1847 onwards the 4th Duke of Northumberland made extensive  modifications to the heating systems of the hothouses. This allowed a larger  variety of exotic plants to be grown and the Italianate flower garden was  created.  A new kitchen garden was established on the site of our current Roots and Shoots Garden. It is not known how much longer pineapples were grown  on-site.