Freshening up the world’s oldest topiary garden

A team of gardeners in Cumbria have started the mammoth six-month trim of the world’s oldest topiary garden.

Some of the trees at Levens Hall, near Kendal, date back to 1694, and the garden holds the Guinness World Record for the oldest of its kind in the world.

With more than 100 living sculptures in the grounds, the variety of unusual shapes ranges from chess pieces and birds to trees trimmed to look like Homer Simpson, Darth Vader and Queen Elizabeth I.

Once a year, a small team of gardeners are tasked with keeping the garden looking good.

Harry Hansen and Toby Bewley went along to meet them.

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