AFTER the devastating fire that struck last month, a Romsey medieval landmark has begun its fight back by opening its gardens to volunteers.

King John's House (KJH) has begun letting volunteers back into its famous gardens following the fire that started in its cellar on Sunday, February 23.

The chair of the museum's trust, Dr Freddie Law-Turner, said: "We are very pleased that we have had the all clear from the structural engineer that the building is safe to enter so we can proceed with the first stages of the investigation and clear up post the fire.

READ MORE: King John's House: Museum manager speaks after devastating fire

Courtesy of King John's House and Museum

"Garden volunteers are now also back in to get the gardens ready to re-open to the public as soon as possible. 

"The gardens are particularly special at KJH and much loved by the Romsey community. This year is their 30th anniversary and we have various events planned to celebrate that, including lectures, tours and a garden party in June.

"Jade, our museum manager, will be posting details on social media as soon as they are available."

The museum announced the reopening of the gardens in a social media post on Saturday, March 8.

The museum said: "On Thursday, we were able to welcome back our wonderful garden volunteers for the first time since the fire. It was great to have them back and we hope that we will be able to open the gardens soon."

READ MORE: 'Terrible' King John's House fire shocks Romsey

Jade Poulton, museum manager, said: "The hard work of our volunteers enables the gardens at KJH to provide a burst of natural beauty right in the heart of Romsey.

"We are deeply thankful for the time the group dedicates to carefully tending the trees, flowers, beds and much more. We can’t wait for brighter spring days ahead when we can welcome locals and visitors back to share in this special space."

KJH has also launched a fundraiser for those who would like to donate and help it recover from the fire.

The fundraiser can be found at: https://kingjohnshouse.org.uk/donate/