Stowe Gardens open for a special royal visit

Her Majesty the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh are to visit Stowe Landscape Gardens in Buckinghamshire on 29 November 2007.

After a lunch and reception at Stowe School, The Queen will then have a tour of the landscape gardens, opened especially for the visit and now owned and cared for by the National Trust. The royal party will meet NT staff and volunteers, and other representatives from the local community, including pupils from St James & St John C of E School and 2nd Maids Moreton Brownies.

The Palladian Bridge at Stowe Landscape Gardens, Bucks
© NTPL / Rupert Truman

At approximately 3.30pm the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh will plant commemorative trees beside the Temple of Concord and Victory, as Queen Victoria and Prince Albert did during their visit to Stowe 162 years ago.

Stowe’s Landscape Gardens, normally closed on weekdays in November, will open from 2pm on the day for members of the public to savour the atmosphere of the royal visit.

Visitors at the landscape gardens
© NTPL / David Levenson

Admission will be free, with an honesty box for donations. Stowe's tea-room will be closed on the day and access to some areas of the gardens will be restricted. Parking will be as normal in the National Trust car park - visitors should follow instructions on entering the grounds.

The National Trust took ownership of the landscape gardens in 1989 and has slowly returned them to their former glory, with around 110,000 visitors per year. With its complex and ambitious restoration work, and its broad appeal as a public attraction, Stowe Landscape Gardens is one of the jewels in the crown of the National Trust.

Patrick Begg, Regional Director of the National Trust, says:

'The royal visit offers a marvellous opportunity for us to present the work of the Trust in looking after and restoring one of finest landscape gardens in the world, and welcoming over 100,000 visitors each year, and many of our staff and volunteers are greatly looking forward to taking part in this historic event.'

The future is bright for Stowe, as the National Trust is embarking on a major new project to restore New Inn, so that today’s visitors can enjoy the same location and entry point as tourists in the 18th century, with visitor facilities fit for the 21st century.