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England’s largest secret garden opens

England’s largest secret garden will open its doors to the public today to reveal its first phase of a 20-year revamp.

Wrest Park in Bedfordshire has been kept in the dark for over half a century, but a £3.8m project to restore the site’s gardens and woodlands will put the charming secret garden back on the map again.

The 90-acre park prides itself on being one of the few places in the world where visitors can see 300 years of the evolution of landscape gardening, according to English Heritage - which took over the project in 2006.

Highlights of the first phase of the restoration include a late Victorian rose garden and an Italian garden which have been transformed to their original layouts.

                               [Gallery: Secret garden in pictures]

Visitors can also meander through miles of historic pathways and overgrown vistas as they indulge in all the beauty Wrest Park has to offer.

Simon Thurley, chief executive of English Heritage said: “Wrest Park tells the story of England's love affair with landscape. It is a unique place capturing three hundred years of gardening history.”

“So now with the successful completion of this first phase of restoration, Wrest Park can rightfully reclaim its place as one of the great gardens of England.”