The gardens at Mapperton House will re-open to visitors this weekend.

Mapperton House, the family home of the Earl and Countess of Sandwich, and the Coach House Café will not be open, but anyone can join the free live stream house tours on Tuesdays at 4pm at mapperton.com/live

In order to ensure the safety of visitors and staff, the number of visitors will be restricted to a maximum of 30 per hour. All visitors are asked to maintain a minimum of 2m distance from other groups. Hand sanitisers will be available, and a range of other measures will be in place to enable social distancing.

Tickets must be purchased online in advance and will be for a specified time slot.

Visitors will follow a one-way system around the gardens and the route is not wheelchair accessible due to steep slopes and paths.

Luke Montagu, Viscount Hinchingbrooke, said: “In common with other historic houses this year, Mapperton has lost all visitor income which normally supports the significant cost of running and maintaining the house and gardens. We are also sorry that visitors have been unable to enjoy the gardens as they have blossomed through the spring.

“However, thanks to the hard work of our gardening team, the gardens are looking wonderful and should provide a haven of calm and beauty during this challenging period.

“We have made some changes to ensure the safety of our visitors and our staff and we are very much looking forward to welcoming people back to the gardens.”

The gardens and grounds will re-open on Sunday, June 7 and will be open from Sundays to Thursdays from 11am to 5pm.

For full details, visit mapperton.com