A luxury Wiltshire estate is celebrating its 48th year of reopening its house and gardens ready for spring visitors.

Dating from 1754, Bowood House & Gardens, near Calne, is the ancestral home of the Marquis and Marchioness of Lansdowne.

Their estate staff have begun preparations for its reopening on Saturday, April 1, with something on offer to entertain the whole family this Easter. 

Visitors can explore 2,000 acres surrounding the Georgian house, including the Grade I listed and beautifully landscaped ‘Capability’ Brown parkland, the award-winning Walled Gardens, and spring Woodland Gardens.

The parkland includes a mile-long lake, arboretum, pinetum and cascade – perfect to enjoy in the spring sunshine.

Bowood House itself hosts an impressive collection of art, sculptures and antiques.

This year’s exhibition, curated by Dr Cathryn Spence, celebrates the many changes, driven by both fashion and economy, that have occurred to Bowood’s landscape over the last 269 years.

The House & Gardens hosts regular Garden Tours throughout the season, including Lord and Lady Lansdowne’s Private Walled Gardens, Head Gardener Tours and, new for  2023, guided tours of Bowood’s Woodland Gardens throughout April and May.

A variety of workshops are also available including floristry, photography, stained glass and wreath-making.

Between April 5-8, Bowood welcomes local children’s hospice charity, Julia’s House, with a beautiful display of its memorial ‘forever butterflies’.

During the first two weeks in April, children can enjoy the Wonderland Easter Egg Trail which takes place throughout the arboretum.

On the weekend of April 15-16, children can create their own ‘Mad Hatters’ Teacup to take home with them.

Bowood’s Adventure Playground boasts a life-size pirate ship, aerial rope walks, tractor trails and the famous space dive – an exhilarating 19ft vertical drop super slide.

There are also a host of popular events throughout the year, including returning favourites Classic Ibiza on Friday and Saturday, July 21 and 22, and the annual Wiltshire Game and Country Fair on Saturday and Sunday, August 12 and 13.

The packed schedule also includes the Masters of Motoring event, taking place on Father’s Day on Sunday, June 18; and the Bowood Triathlon on Saturday, June 24.

Bowood Estate is also hosting a series of outdoor theatre productions, including Jane Austen’s Sense & Sensibility, David Walliams’ ‘Bad Dad’ and Shakespeare’s Twelfth  Night.

The Adventure Cinema returns on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, July 7-9, showing Elvis, Grease and Top Gun: Maverick.

Bowood House & Gardens opens for the 2023 season from April 1 to November 1 2023.