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HRH visits the restored gardens of the Manor at Temple Guiting, Gloucestershire

14th September 2006

The Prince of Wales today visited a traditional Cotswold manor house to see the stunning restoration of the gardens first hand.

The gardens of the Grade I listed The Manor at Temple Guiting in Gloucestershire, were nothing more than muddy fields when Steven Collins bought the historic property eight years ago.

After nearly five years of painstaking work the area has been transformed into one of the country‘s finest gardens.

It now boasts beautifully restored dry stone walls, a fruit garden, peacock garden and Elizabethan canal feature, along with swathes of manicured lawns.

The Prince spent more than 30 minutes touring the immaculate grounds and appeared particularly impressed by the dry stone walling work.

The gardens‘ designer, Jinny Blom, TV architect Ptolemy Dean and dry stone waller Gilbert Stirling-Lee were all later handed awards from the Dry Stone Walling Association (DSWA) for their work on the project.

The Prince told assembled guests who had been invited to The Manor that it was vital traditional skills and crafts were kept alive.

He said: "As the new and not very shiny Patron of the Dry Stone Walling Association, I am delighted to have the opportunity to give these awards recognising these splendid crafts, which help to maintain the special nature of our landscape."

He went on to praise the role dry stone walling played in the British countryside, saying: "This makes Britain what it is. We owe a huge debt to these people who learn, maintain and keep these skills alive."

The Manor's owner, Steven Collins, said of the project: "It‘s been hard work. We started with a blank canvas and it was really just a muddy field. And to have The Prince to come round and have a cup of tea and a cake in your garden is fantastic."

Mr Dean, from the BBC‘s Restoration show, said the success of the garden was keeping it true to its historic roots.

"By recognising the history of this place, you get the framework to make modern alterations so it becomes both historic and new at the same time. It‘s both the future and the past."