BBC Radio 4's Gardeners' Question Time hosted in Herstmonceux Castle Estate

This week’s show, to be first broadcast this Friday and Sunday, was recorded at Herstmonceux Castle earlier this month and sees the panel answering questions from the public whilst exploring the Castle’s 300-acre public Estate.

The panel of horticulture experts, chaired by Peter Gibbs, were hosted by the Castle’s Gardens and Grounds Manager, Guy Lucas, with the location being chosen to showcase some of the work undertaken on the Estate to increase biodiversity and sustainability.

Speaking about the experience, Guy Lucas said: “It was a pleasure to welcome Gardeners’ Question Time to the Castle. It’s such an iconic show in the gardening world and it was an honour to be asked to be part of the recording of the show and to be able to showcase our work on sustainability and biodiversity to both the panel of experts and the listeners.”

Under Guy’s leadership the team at the Castle have been working hover the last few years to increase biodiversity on the Estate through a range of methods that are historically and ecologically sensitive to the Castle’s sense of place.

The overall estate is 600 acres in size, 300 of which is open to the public, the other 300 being tenanted farmland.

The formal gardens themselves are three acres in size forming 11 individual areas – The Castle Courtyard, The Elizabethan Garden, Rose Garden, Shakespeare Garden, Sculpture walk, Lower Garden, Shady Garden, Apothecary Garden, Magic Garden, Long Border and Folly Garden.

The Castle grounds are now closed for the winter but are open on the weekend of January 15 and 16, with next year’s season starting on February 12, 2022.

For more details about the Castle click here

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