STAFF and volunteers at Hughenden Manor are hard at work restoring a Victorian walled garden back to prominence.

After remaining unseen by visitors for many years, a decision has been made to open up the garden and try to recreate the area as it may have looked in its 19th century prime.

Mick Phillips, property manager for the National Trust, said: "The garden had been in a bad state and it had become very overgrown so we thought it was time to act.

"We want to keep some of the magical feel of the garden as well as make it productive."

It is hoped the garden will be ready to receive its first visitors on Fridays from March next year.

Jessie Binns, learning officer for the National Trust, has been working with two groups from Bucks County Council Adult Learning to plant vegetables in the garden that would have been eaten in Victorian times. She said: "We want to put the garden back into production.

"We are still doing research about how they the Victorians did it by seeing what works."