Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All the United Kingdom England West Putford The Gnome Reserve

The Gnome Reserve

The world's largest collection of garden gnomes lives among the trees and wildflowers on this woodland reserve.

West Putford, England

Added By
limbicspin
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
CAPTION
Photo op for the struggling musicians   limbicspin / Atlas Obscura User
Gnomes on the job.   Lewis Clarke/cc by-sa 2.0
Gnomes on the hillside   Lewis Clarke/cc by-sa 2.0
  Ethan Doyle White/cc by-sa 3.0
Gnomes playing draughts.   David Masters/cc by 2.0
  Lewis Clarke/cc by-sa 2.0
  Ethan Doyle White/cc by-sa 3.0
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

For over 35 years, these four acres of beautiful countryside have been a natural habitat for a diverse array of plants, birds, butterflies, and pond life—plus the occasional fairy, and a large community of gnomes and pixies.

Here, the pint-size woodland creatures can be seen going about their daily lives: playing chess, relaxing with a good book, getting married, and engaging in the space race.

There are more than 2,000 garden gnomes and pixie models at the Gnome Reserve in North Devon, making it the Guinness World Record holder for the largest gnome collection on the planet. The little creatures can be found hidden among the trees, relaxing by the pond and stream, or at home in the wildflower garden.

This quirky place was founded in 1979 by gnome enthusiast Ann Atkin, a former art student who was inspired to do something totally different and create a whimsical refuge for the garden gnomes of Britain to roam free. Visitors are welcome, and don't worry: Gnome hats and fishing rods are provided free of charge so you can blend right in.

After communing with the little folk and enjoying the wildlife, a cream tea would go down a treat, and yes, you can find those here too.

Related Tags

Gnomes Fairytales Nature Preserves Forests Gardens World's Largest Collections World Record Flowers Ecosystems Plants

Know Before You Go

The Reserve is open between March 21 and October 31. A small admission fee is payable; gnomes need to eat too. Planning your route before you go is advisable—small country lanes and patchy connectivity can make for more of an adventure than you're looking for. The Reserve is in the village West Putford (near Bradworthy) in North Devon. There is a small cafe on site—try the cream tea—and a shop with gnomes for purchase. 

Community Contributors

Added By

limbicspin

Edited By

Meg

  • Meg

Published

September 26, 2018

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • https://www.gnomereserve.co.uk/newlocation
  • http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/news/60at60/2015/8/2000-largest-collection-of-garden-gnomes-392875
The Gnome Reserve
West Putford, England
United Kingdom
50.916371, -4.345729
Visit Website

Nearby Places

The Sledges of Clovelly

Clovelly, England

miles away

Church of St. Morwenna and St. John the Baptist

Cornwall, England

miles away

Hawker's Hut

Cornwall, England

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of England

England

United Kingdom

Places 2,219
Stories 145

Nearby Places

The Sledges of Clovelly

Clovelly, England

miles away

Church of St. Morwenna and St. John the Baptist

Cornwall, England

miles away

Hawker's Hut

Cornwall, England

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of England

England

United Kingdom

Places 2,219
Stories 145

Related Stories and Lists

The Largest Gnome Collection in the World

Video

By Atlas Obscura

Related Places

  • A rare Franciscan manzanita, similar to the one that led to Rowntree’s nighttime raid to save one of the endangered plants. She admitted that she’d “garnered it ghoulishly in a gunnysack.”

    Carmel-by-the-Sea, California

    Lester Rowntree Native Plant Garden

    Named for a self-taught botanist who cataloged hundreds of native plants, this garden continues her work of preserving California plant life.

  • Green arch in Fragas do Eume.

    Cabanas, Spain

    Fragas do Eume

    This enchanting natural park is a magical example of a temperate rainforest in Europe.

  • Trollskogen

    Borgholm, Sweden

    Trollskogen (The Troll Forest)

    Crooked windswept pines give this old forest an enchanted and magical look.

  • The Fairies Tree.

    Melbourne, Australia

    Fairies Tree

    A whimsical menagerie of creatures carved into a 300-year-old tree trunk.

  • Šalinac Grove.

    Šalinac, Serbia

    Šalinac Grove

    An eerie, protected forest of old-growth oak trees, many of which are now dead.

  • The Tambopata Research Center

    Tambopata, Peru

    Tambopata Research Center

    One of the most remote lodges in the Amazon offers rare wildlife encounters and undisturbed views of the Peruvian rainforest.

  • A tree that will become an anthology in 100 years

    Oslo, Norway

    Forest of the Future Library

    One thousand trees were planted in Norway to be used to print books a century from now.

  • Riding on horseback through wild apple groves outside Almaty.

    Almaty, Kazakhstan

    The Last Wild Apple Forests

    Granny Smiths and Fujis can both be traced back to Kazakhstan, where apples still grow wild.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.