Gardener's home opens as hotel
16 July 2003 by Glos News (AF)
The Cotswold home of the gardening guru who helped Prince Charles create the gardens at Highgrove opened its doors as a country house hotel last week.
Barnsley House, near Cirencester in Gloucestershire, was the home of gardening expert Rosemary Verey until her death in 2001 at the age of 82. She turned her own grounds into a visitor attraction that pulled in 20,000 people a year, while also helping the likes of Prince Charles and Sir Elton John with their own gardens.
The 17th-century Grade II-listed property was sold to publicans Tim Haigh and Rupert Pendered for £2.25m last year. The pair have now launched the refurbished building as a nine-bedroom hotel, but intend to open the gardens six times a year for charity viewings.
