Designed in 1980 as a private pleasure garden in the great English tradition of eccentric green spaces, the Forbidden Corner contains follies and grottoes, statues, installations, tunnels and sculptures.

Colin Armstrong, the owner of Tupgill Park, eventually opened the park to the public with great success. Unfortunately, the correct planning and permitting process had not been observed during construction and the site was nearly shut down. Having survived that near miss, admission is by now pre-booked tickets only.

Visitors to the gardens are not provided with a map of any kind: instead they are given a checklist of places to be discovered.