Exbury Gardens is to celebrate the 70th anniversary of public opening this year by starting the restoration of a ‘long-forgotten’ corner of the world-famous New Forest woodland garden.

This six-and-a half-acre area, originally planted by Lionel de Rothschild, has been virtually untouched for decades, dating back to when Exbury was requisitioned by the Navy during World War II.

The two-year project will restore public access and uncover rare plants and trees, glades and vistas originally created in the 1920s when the garden was first established. 

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Also for the 2025 season, visitors can follow a new 70th anniversary garden trail.

Commenting on the lost corner project, head gardener Tom Clarke said: "This section of the garden was originally planted in the 1920s by Lionel de Rothschild, a visionary horticulturist, and contains some truly magnificent specimens of trees, and many beautiful flowering shrubs. 

"During the war years much of the 200-acre garden was obviously neglected, and when Lionel’s son Edmund was handed back the keys in 1955, he was faced with a very different garden to the one he’d grown up in. Edmund needed to kick-start the restoration of the gardens and faced with the monumental task of bringing it back to life, he opened the gates to the public for the first time.

"This restoration represents one of the final pieces of the original gardens to be reinstated. Over the next couple of years, we’re really looking forward to uncovering and sharing its hidden botanical treasures with visitors."

(Image: Exbury Gardens) In spring 1955 Edmund de Rothschild first opened Exbury Gardens to the public, sharing the horticultural legacy of his father, a passionate plantsman who was described as ‘a banker by hobby but a gardener by profession’.

Lionel had begun creating one of the finest woodland gardens in the country until his death in 1942. The gardens were requisitioned by the Admiralty, along with Exbury House, and played an important role in the planning of D-Day. In 1955 when the overgrown gardens were finally returned to the family, the decision was made to welcome visitors for the first time.

The lost section has remained inaccessible to visitors since the war.

(Image: Stephen Studd for Exbury Gardens)