Evesham Abbey Gardens to reopen after £1.3 million investment

Around £1.3 million has been spent on restoring Evesham Abbey Gardens, with thousands of hours of labour going into the project.

Chair of the Evesham Abbey Trust, Barrie Baldelli, is delighted to see the work nearing completion.

He said: “The Trust hopes the restoration and interpretive gardens will not only inspire the local residents but will also enhance the tourism experience and contribute to business growth.

“The Trust is particularly proud and thankful for the fantastic contribution made by all our volunteers, without whom the project would never have come to fruition.

“Over the last five years in excess of 100 volunteers and experts have contributed over 8000 hours of free expertise and manpower which if calculated at an hourly rate is worth nearly £100,000.

“A phenomenal contribution by any measure and a testament to their determination and commitment to the project.”

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Two open days will take place this weekend, Saturday April 22 and Sunday 23.

Alongside volunteers speaking about the project, there will be music, medieval dancers, knights and forge demonstrations.

In total, £1.3 million has been spent on the restoration (Image: Newsquest)

Mr Baldelli added: “We have now nearly reached the end of the restoration works of the walls and structures and made significant progress with the gardens.

“With warmer weather, the Trust hopes to complete these works by the end of May or early June to allow full opening to the public.

“This weekend we celebrate the restoration works and introduce the completed sections of the gardens.

“We hope that will also help our gardens funding appeal as we still need additional resources  to help the process.”

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The Evesham Abbey Trust was set up in 2015 with the aim of seeing the remains of the town’s 1300-year-old Abbey restored to its rightful place in the history books.

Following discussions with the Rudge family, which had owned the site for 400 years, the Trust was registered as a charity in 2017, allowing it to accept the site as a gift.

Trustees began evaluating the scope of the abbey site, determining the likely costs involved and researching the funding opportunities. 

Initial approaches for funding secured enough money to develop the ideas into a defined plan including an underwrite contribution from Wychavon District Council that allowed the Trust to fund the various specialist we needed to give the bids to the National Lottery Heritage Fund and Historic England credibility and security.

After the initial development phase  grants were confirmed by the NHLF and HE 

The Trust appointed contractors, including DACook, for the restoration works at a projected cost of just over £1.1m.

Work is nearing completion (Image: Newsquest)

As there is no national funding scheme for the development of the gardens, the Trust has continuously appealed for funding, with one of the largest contributors being Severn Waste Management, which allocated £28,000 through the Vale Landscape Heritage Trust funding scheme. 

The final total cost of the project is calculated at £1.3m.

As part of the grant conditions from the Lottery Fund, the Trust devised a programme of community engagement, engaging with over 40 local schools, running events both on and off-site.

The Trust has also published three books on the Abbey's history for both adults and children. 

The gardens officially open at 11.30am on Saturday, with Sunday's open day starting at 10am and running until 4pm.