Elizabethan mansion to reopen after restoration

An Elizabethan mansion in West Sussex is to reopen with new exhibition spaces after being closed for a two-year roof restoration.

The billiard room and the chapel at Wakehurst Mansion will host exhibitions, while the library will offer visitors a "tranquil retreat" and "contemplative environment", Wakehurst Mansion said.

Exhibition organisers said the displays told the story of Wakehurst as a living laboratory in a historic landscape shaped by centuries of careful and innovative stewardship.

Wakehurst Mansion director, Susan Raikes, said: "We are proud to welcome visitors into a revitalised mansion that honours its past while embracing an exciting future."

The billiard room will feature work exploring the transformation of the surrounding landscape, while the chapel will document Wakehurst's role in seed conservation.

The reopening coincides with the 25th anniversary of the Millennium Seed Bank and 60 years since the Royal Botanic Gardens, at Kew, began managing the mansion.

Caroline Ikin, curator at the National Trust, which worked with Kew on the restoration, said: "This marks the beginning of an exciting new chapter at Wakehurst, with new displays exploring the rich history of the mansion and the people who've lived and worked there."

The mansion reopens on 27 June.

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