Bowood Estate in Wiltshire has been open to the public since 1975 but the walled garden has remained private to its owners
The gorgeous garden is welcoming visitors for the first time in almost 300 years(Image: SWNS)
A beautiful walled garden set inside a historic country estate has now been opened up to the public for the first time in 270 years.
The historically private garden at Bowood Estate near Calne, Wiltshire, now offers its visitors a chance to delve into the “rich history and ongoing legacy” of the grounds.
Owned by the Petty-Fitzmaurice family for more than two and a half centuries, the estate itself has been opened to the public since 1975, but the garden has always been closed to the public.
The estate is renowned as the site where Joseph Priestley, a former librarian at the house, discovered oxygen in 1774.
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The Grade I-listed mansion, which comes complete with a golf course, hotel, spa, and adventure playground, attracts more than 120,000 visitors annually.
Lord Kerry, Chief Executive and the 11th generation steward of Bowood, described the walled garden as an “integral” part of the estate’s charm.
The Grade I-listed mansion, which comes complete with a golf course, hotel, spa, and adventure playground
He expressed his hope that the opening of the “stunning” garden would provide a fresh perspective on Bowood’s extensive heritage “to be enjoyed by all”.
The gorgeous outdoor space features an array of colourful flowers, trees and shrubs.
David Glass, the head gardener at Bowood, shared his aspirations for the walled garden to reflect the estate’s “evolving” educational role, emphasising its focus on sustainability.
The public will be able to visit the garden at Bowood Estate(Image: SWNS)
Joseph Priestley, a scientist pivotal to the foundation of modern chemistry, made his ground-breaking discovery while employed as a librarian and tutor at Bowood for Lord Shelburne.
In 1774, Priestley communicated to others about the novel “air” he had uncovered.
His initial experiments involved mice, which surprisingly survived when confined with the new air, leading him to test it on himself.
It features many beautiful flowers, trees and shrubs(Image: SWNS)
He penned his findings, stating it was “five or six times better than common air for the purpose of respiration, inflammation, and, I believe, every other use of common atmospherical air”.
In doing so, he had stumbled upon the discovery of oxygen gas.
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