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OPENING HOURS: NORTHAMPTON GARDEN CENTRE
	Open	Close
Monday	9.00am	6.00pm
Tuesday	9.00am	6.00pm
Wednesday	9.00am	6.00pm
Thursday	9.00am	6.00pm
Friday	9.00am	6.00pm
Saturday	9.00am	6.00pm
Sunday	10.30am	4.30pm
EASTER OPENING TIMES Good Friday - 9.00am to 6.00pm Easter Saturday - 9.00am to 6.00pm Easter Sunday - CLOSED Easter Monday - 9.00am to 6.00pm CHRISTMAS OPENING TIMES Christmas Eve - 9.00am to 4.00pm Christmas Day - CLOSED Boxing Day - 11.00am to 5.00pm New Year's Eve - 9.00am to 4.00pm New Year's Day - 11.00am to 5.00pm BANK HOLIDAY OPENING TIMES Includes May and August Bank Holiday: Open 9.00am, closes 6.00pm

THE PLANTS

A significant proportion of the outside area is under cover. Not only is there a large covered area immediately as you exit the building but there are also covered arches running around the area. This allows shopping for plants even in rainy weather conditions.

All of the plants area is fully paved and it's kept clean and free from clutter. The area is large and the signs are large and clear. The layout is not totally regimented but a few more nooks and crannies would improve the appearance and experience of the area.

As with almost all Wyevale Garden Centres premises, the plants look in excellent condition, hardy plants come with a very good life time guarantee.

INTERIOR SALES

The decor of the interior sales area is disappointing for a large garden centre. It's basically a very large metal shed and almost no attempt has been made to disguise this. In nurseries and small garden centres this would be fine, but in a garden centre of this size it's just plain ugly.

The layout is very basic as well with little attempt to provide an interesting environment and atmosphere for customers. This does have one benefit however, it is a relatively simple matter to find the tills and exit from almost all points in the garden centre.

We counted nine independent retailers with dedicated shopping areas in the interior sales area, Edinburgh Woollen Mill being one of the larger ones. Maidenhead Aquatics have a reasonably large outlet supplying a huge variety of fish and goods for the fish fancier.

THE CAFE AT NORTHAMPTON GARDEN CENTRE

The cafe is inset into the interior sales area with no attempt to make it a separate area. Decor is basic with tables and chairs arranged into basic rows. A little more effort into the design of the area could transform the cafe. It is clean neat and tidy. The large windows at one end of the seating area let in lots of light. There is a kiddies play area which previously was free but they now charge £1.50 per hour / child of which, 50p currently goes to charity.

The range of food on offer is good with a choice of main meals, snack meals, cakes, teas and coffees. The food is cooked on the premises and the quality, in line with similar Wyevale Garden Centres cafes, is above average. Pricing is about average. What did strike us as a drop in standards is that main meals are served from the counter until just past 3.00pm. At that time of day the vegetables looked in a very, very poor state and the meals themselves were suffering from too long on the hot plate. Anyone taking a main meal much past 2.00pm is likely to receive inferior quality food.

Service is quick and pleasant with the vast majority of food being on display at the counter.

CHRISTMAS EVENTS AND FEATURES

The selection and choice of Christmas trees (live and synthetic), Christmas decorations and lights is excellent. The choice of gifts (our personal opinion only) is rather lacking. Quite what is missing is hard to define but two of us visited Northampton Garden Centre at Christmas time and we both had the same opinion - uninspiring.

The general decor at Christmas time is acceptable but not as good as many other large garden centres. A couple of the displays will interest your children but overall they will not be inspired. They do put on a Father Christmas and grotto for the kids, check their website for details. They also offer kids meals at Christmas where Santa makes an appearance.

OTHER STUFF
Car park - large, on a flat surface and near the main entrance
Pet Centre - yes, there is a dedicated Pet's Corner shop on site
Aquatics - yes a large choice at the in-store Maidenhead Aquatics
Water Features - in season they have a good selection
Sheds and Greenhouses - yes during spring and summer months
Toilets - clean and functional
Disabled Access - this is top quality all round with free wheelchairs available at the entrance.