Gardeners' World episode to focus on old vicarage

A former vicarage with a 32-acre garden (13 hectares) is to feature on Gardeners' World.

East Ruston Old Vicarage, near Happisburgh, in Norfolk was bought by Alan Gray and Graham Robeson in 1973 for £20,000.

The property, which has briefly featured on the show in the past, will be the focus of Friday night's episode.

Mr Gray said fans could expect a "huge surprise".

"It's because we're in the middle of nowhere but at the centre of the universe," he added.

The old vicarage features sub-tropical gardens, a sunken rose garden and a large woodland area which are maintained by volunteers throughout the summer.

"[The production crew] involved everybody that works here, which is more important than anything else because they're the people that make it what it is," Mr Gray said.

"I've never seen them arrive quite so smart. They all had their hair done to look the part. It was really lovely."

When Mr Gray and Mr Robeson first bought the old vicarage, they said it had no garden at all.

Over the years, they bought adjacent land in order to expand.

Last year they announced they would leave the garden to charity in their wills.

In Friday's episode, at 20:00 BST on BBC Two, presenters Arit Anderson and Adam Frost discover the property's history and tackle some seasonal jobs.

Gardeners' World is Britain's longest-running gardening show, having first aired on 5 January 1968.

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