Gardens open from 2nd June
Hurrah – the government has updated the guidance and gardens are now permitted to open.
The Gardens will be open from Tuesday to Friday, 10am to 3pm, from Tuesday 2nd June.
At this stage the Café and Gift Shop will not be open – depending on government guidance and visitor numbers we will hope to be able to open these, and extend our opening days/hours, later in June/July – we will update this information as we know more.
Please note – both our Special Rose Week and Kitchen Garden Week events have been cancelled. At the moment we plan to go ahead with our Dahlia Days event in September though.
Bear with us … to follow social distancing guidelines we have had to consider all points of your visit (below) … a terribly boring read but it is intended to make visiting as safe as possible for all so we would ask that you do read it through before coming to see us:
ON ARRIVAL:
- The car park field will be open for parking and there is plenty of space in the field. If you would usually visit with a friend but will be arriving in separate vehicles so you can socially distance throughout your visit please be assured there is plenty of space to park and there is no charge for car parking.
- Tickets will be sold on arrival from the front door of the house – we will open at 10am to sell the first tickets and last tickets will be sold at 3pm (the gardens will close at 4.45pm). Please may we ask you not to arrive before 10am – the ticket sales and gardens will only open at 10am.
- To ensure the least contact possible please may we ask you to pay by card for tickets.
- Our Season Ticket Holders will need to show their Season Ticket as usual and we can renew/sell Season Tickets as usual.
- All current season tickets will be extended to cover the two month period we have been closed, e.g. if your ticket date expired on 21st April it will actually expire on 21st June.
- Historic Houses members will need to sign in as always – when you show your card we will record your name and card number as usual (so there is no need to share pens, come into contact with the sign in sheet etc.)
- The lavatories at the front of house will be open for visitor use, and there are hand washing facilities for visitors here too (the lavatories by the Café will not be open while the Café is still closed). These facilities will be checked and cleaned each day.
ENJOYING THE GARDENS:
- The gardens are 11 acres and so social distancing can easily be maintained throughout – there are some narrower pathways in places – please be respectful of other visitors, and our garden team, and keep at least a 2 metre distance away from others at all times.
- Benches are situated around the garden should you wish to sit, stop and rest and enjoy the view.
- There are handrails provided by each set of steps and slopes through the garden and over the bridge to the island – realistically we cannot disinfect these between each person’s use – you may wish to not use these at the moment, or, if you usually use a handrail for support you may wish to bring gloves so you are not directly touching the rail, with which others may have been in contact.
- The small greenhouse will be open – we would ask it is used on a one household in one household out basis (i.e. if you live with someone you are visiting with do go in together and look around – if someone you do not live with is in the greenhouse please do not enter until they have finished).
- No picnics in the gardens please. Picnic tables will be available for use in the car park field as usual – spaced out appropriately but otherwise to be used as your own risk – these facilities will not be monitored and if they are not being used responsibly we reserve the right to withdraw them. You are welcome to bring your own picnic blanket/chair etc. to use in the car park field if you prefer. In either case please may we ask you to take all your rubbish home with you.
- First aid – if you require first aid while in the garden please alert the nearest gardener – or, return to the front of the house for assistance (if it is after 3pm and the tickets sales are closed ring the front doorbell for attention).
Please note – the Garden is a large space which, except during some of our special events, is not usually crowded. We certainly don’t anticipate having to do so, especially having cancelled our Special Rose Week event in June, but we do reserve the right to suspend ticket sales on any day if we judge that the car park/gardens have reached a capacity where social distancing is no longer viable.
Please note – the BBC Gardener’s World Magazine 2 for 1 offer is not valid here until 1st July.
