Win a free royal tour of Highdown Gardens for the Platinum Jubilee

Wednesday, 20 April 2022 08:30

Highdown Gardens has been a popular tourist hotspot ever since it was given to the people of Worthing in 1968.

But did you know that it was once a favourite day trip destination for the royal family too?

Now is your chance to find out about Highdown's hidden royal history, as well as to explore everything else the garden has to offer on a free guided tour to celebrate the Queen's Platinum Jubilee.

Highdown Gardens will be giving away 45 pairs of tickets for a series of tours of the gardens led by researcher Hamish MacGillivray and volunteer Jane Dore. The tours will explore how Highdown became a discreet getaway for the British royal family during the 1930s, while the house and gardens were owned by Sir Frederick Stern and his wife Lady Sybil Stern.

One of the most notable royal guests was Edward, Prince of Wales, who visited in 1933 - three years before as Edward VIII abdicated the throne. Guests will find out what his favourite plant was, discover Queen Mary's secret addiction and find out what the glamorous Queen Marie of Romania was really doing at Highdown.

The tour is inspired by the Highdown Visitors Book, which is now in the West Sussex Record Office, and will also reveal how tennis became a catalyst for the Stern's plant collection and shed light on the couple's other varied achievements.

The tours will take place on Tuesday 31st May and Tuesday 7th June 2022, with three slots on each day. The organisers have promised plenty of audience participation and each tour will be followed by a complimentary cream tea at The Highdown Tea Room.

For your chance to win, complete the entry form by Monday 25th April 2022. It's available on the Adur and Worthing Council website.

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