The
Toolerstone Story
Toolerstone is a not for profit ‘creative escape’ situated in private gardens in the Cheshire village of Sandiway. We offer a variety of day long creative workshops, in subjects including gardening, floristry, willow weaving, painting, photography and more, all inspired by nature and the garden setting.
At the heart of Toolerstone is gifting. We believe everyone can benefit from a creative break and we currently support a number of charity partners across Cheshire and North Wales. As of January 2024, we have gifted over 1200 places across the organisations we help.
Our workshops are also available to book by paying guests and we extend the same ethos of ‘escape. create. nourish’ through every single one of our days. Any funds that come from selling our courses will help us to maintain and sustain our offering for the future.
We are a small team but are passionate about giving our guests a fantastic time. Whether you join us for a workshop, a special event or a garden day, we aim to surpass expectations from the moment you choose to spend time with us.
Our workshops run Monday to Friday. They are all designed to be accessible for the beginner or the more experienced crafts person. Fabulous catering is always included, and you’ll be assured when leaving us that you have a smile on your face and something you’ve made that you’re proud of.
The Toolerstone Story
Toolerstone House is a Grade II listed property, thought to be one of the oldest in Sandiway village. The original sand stone house is thought to date back to c1640 and was used by the monks and their animals from Vale Royal Abbey.
The name ‘Tooler’ stone derives from a block of sand stone used for cleaning horses hooves, which currently rests on a public footpath away from the house. The house has been added to significantly over the years. The Pilkington family added on to it c1900/1920 and we have also added to it extensively during our time here putting on the tower and glasshouse pool area (now a classroom).
When we first arrived there were no formal gardens, just a bordered front garden and a lot of paddock. Today you will find a large pond area, a designated vegetable garden and several other formal gardens, all created and maintained by our head gardener, Simon, and his team.
A Personal Message from Camilla
Toolerstone has been our happy family home for twenty years. Sadly my husband, Andy Jeal, was diagnosed with Pancreatic cancer in 2019 and passed away in the following March, aged 58. He was a great believer in helping those who strive to help themselves and never forgot his upbringing, in a small council house in Great Yarmouth. He remained grounded despite earning great financial success in his own lifetime. Toolerstone is still very much our family’s home but, in Andy’s memory, we want to now share it with others who would benefit from being here.
Personally, I find that being in the garden, surrounded by nature, brings many benefits to my mental and physical wellbeing. Finding inspiration for my creativity in this environment allows me to be immersed in the seasons, encouraged to be present in the moment. The connection I have with nature and the outdoors can be extremely uplifting and I would very much like to share this feeling with others.
