WORK began last week to restore the South Bucks resting place of one of Britain’s most famous poets as the 300th anniversary of his birth draws near.

Thomas Gray is buried in a tomb at St Giles’ Church in Stoke Poges, and a separate monument marks the area that inspired his classic 1751 work ‘Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard’.

And with help from the Heritage National Lottery Fund and other local groups, the Stoke Poges Society is taking the first steps towards restoring the famous landmarks for Gray’s tercentenary in 2016.

Society chairman Roger Askew believes the conservation of the monuments and the surrounding are key to commemorating the importance of Gray’s works and inspiration.

He said: "Stoke Poges, despite its proximity to industrial and commercial centres, has preserved much of its rural character.

"This is due in no small part to our great poet, our beautiful church and the measures which have been taken over the years to protect and preserve it.

"His forthcoming tercentenary is an opportunity to celebrate, and to remind a new generation of our wonderful literary heritage and of the rural landscapes that so inspired it."

The land was protected in the 1920s when a local benefactor bought the land to protect it from increasing urbanisation.

The site was then given to the National Trust in 1925 and secured for later generations to enjoy.

The work on the monument got underway at the weekend, with volunteers beginning to clear the brambles and planting new flower beds.

Restoration of the Gray family tomb in the churchyard will follow.

Stoke Poges schoolchildren will make a trip to the site this summer, and at a later stage a poetry competition will be organised to celebrate and commemorate Gray’s work.