The grounds of some stately homes will open next week for a limited number of visitors, though there’ll be no cream teas just yet
The National Trust is reopening some of its gardens and parklands from 3 June, with reduced capacity and a new booking system for advance tickets only. The grounds of Ickworth House in Suffolk, Wallington Hall in Northumberland and Castle Ward in County Down are among the 29 sites reopening after being shut for 10 weeks, with visitor numbers cut to 30% of normal levels to help maintain social distancing. A further eight sites opening at the same time do not require advance booking.
The organisation sent an email to its 5.6 million members on 28 May , saying that gardens in England and Northern Ireland are being opened, although the interiors of its stately homes will remain off-limits, as will all sites in Wales and National Trust of Scotland sites, where lockdown rules have not been eased to the same extent. The announcement comes after the UK government updated its advice on ticketed garden venues on 23 May. In England, gardens and other green spacesmaintained for public use are open to visitors, and Northern Ireland is permitting outdoor spaces to reopen as part of step one in its coronavirus recovery plan.