HANBURY Hall is set in 400 acres of parkland and garden.

Nothing remains of the formal Dutch garden laid out and designed by George London, apart from one long path, the original orangery, and the icehouse.

The original gardens were wiped away during the late eighteenth century by Emma Vernon and Henry Cecil when the century's mania for landscaped gardens crept in.

The land remained with the Vernon family until 1953,when Sir George Vernon, the second and last baronet, left it to The National Trust in his will.

Partly funded by a European Union grant along with some generous private donations, the restoration project began in September, 21 1993. Archaeological investigation, original surveys of the estate by Joseph Dougharty (1732) and draft plans used by London himself, were used to ensure the design was accurate. Years of toil and dedication were poured into the project. It was a labour of love for the gardeners, particularly head gardener, Neil Cook, who has worked at Hanbury for longer than 15 years.

He said: "Early eighteenth century gardens were very formal in their layout and design. But later that century fashion changed to a more romantic, landscape style and nearly all of these formal gardens were swept away."

Over the past decade, The National Trust have started to recreate the main elements of the original formal garden. The sunken parterre to one side of Hanbury Hall is now complete with all the box hedging laid out. Other areas such as the fruit garden and formal gardens next to the parterre have also been installed alongside open wooden pavilions.

According to a Hanbury Hall spokesperson, since the restoration began, visitors have increased dramatically, many travel for miles.

Although the gardens are maturing beautifully, work continues on site. The Tall Pavilions which previously provided viewing platforms over the gardens are being reinstated.

Head gardener Neil added: "When I started, gardening here, it was mostly a case of mowing the lawns. Now it is much more labour intensive, the gardens look stunning and we're proud of how historically accurate they are."

Hanbury Hall and gardens are open Saturday to Wednesday. For further details call 01527 821214.