{"id":48273,"date":"2025-06-19T10:58:35","date_gmt":"2025-06-19T09:58:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thefamilygrapevine.co.uk\/midsussex\/?p=48273"},"modified":"2025-06-19T11:02:30","modified_gmt":"2025-06-19T10:02:30","slug":"wakehurst-mansion-to-reopen-with-new-exhibition-spaces","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thefamilygrapevine.co.uk\/midsussex\/2025\/06\/19\/wakehurst-mansion-to-reopen-with-new-exhibition-spaces\/","title":{"rendered":"Wakehurst Mansion to Reopen With New Exhibition Spaces"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-post\" data-elementor-id=\"48273\" class=\"elementor elementor-48273\" data-elementor-post-type=\"post\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3c41da2 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"3c41da2\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-f8bdf85 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"f8bdf85\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h5>Wakehurst&#8217;s historic mansion reopens with two new exhibition spaces and a library for visitors to relax<\/h5><p>The historic <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kew.org\/wakehurst\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Wakehurst Mansion<\/span><\/strong><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\">, a Grade I listed Elizabethan property located in the heart of the Sussex landscape, will reopen to the public on 27<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\"><sup>th<\/sup><\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> June 2025 following an extensive two-year roof restoration, unveiling two brand new exhibition spaces and a new area for visitors to relax.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">This marks a significant chapter in Wakehurst\u2019s history, reintroducing the Mansion as a space that unites heritage, scientific innovation and visitor experience, creating a brand-new way for visitors to engage and interact with the historic space. The reopening also coincides with two major milestones: the <strong>25<\/strong><\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\"><strong><sup>th<\/sup><\/strong><\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\"><strong> anniversary of the Millennium Seed Bank<\/strong><\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">, and <strong>60 years since the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, assumed management of Wakehurst<\/strong> from the National Trust in 1965, recognising the site\u2019s potential as a complementary and ecologically diverse counterpart to Kew Gardens in London.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Visitors will be invited to explore <strong>three newly restored spaces<\/strong> within the Mansion, each offering a unique perspective on Wakehurst\u2019s past, present, and future:\u00a0<\/span><\/p><ul><li><span data-contrast=\"auto\">The <strong>Billiard Room<\/strong> will house an exhibition exploring the layered history of Wakehurst from the ground up, tracing the transformation of the landscape from prehistoric origins to a centre of botanical and scientific excellence. This space will also highlight the unique relationship between RBG Kew and the National Trust.\u00a0<\/span><\/li><\/ul><ul><li><span data-contrast=\"auto\">The <strong>Chapel<\/strong>, the original birthplace of the Millennium Seed Bank (celebrating its 25<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\"><sup>th<\/sup><\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> anniversary in 2025), will showcase Wakehurst\u2019s pioneering role in seed conservation and how contemporary scientific research continues in the garden today, including through the Nature Unlocked programme that uses the Wakehurst landscape as a living laboratory exploring nature-based solutions for climate change.\u00a0<\/span><\/li><\/ul><ul><li><span data-contrast=\"auto\">The <strong>Library<\/strong> has been thoughtfully revived as a tranquil retreat, offering visitors a contemplative environment in which to appreciate the Mansion\u2019s character and atmosphere.\u00a0<\/span><\/li><\/ul><p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">These new exhibitions reflect two core themes: Wakehurst as a <strong>living laboratory <\/strong><\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">in a <\/span><strong><span data-contrast=\"auto\">historic landscape<\/span><\/strong><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> shaped by centuries of careful and innovative stewardship. Through immersive interpretation and storytelling, the Mansion will once again become a focal point for visitor engagement, education, and scientific awareness.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span data-contrast=\"auto\"><strong>Wakehurst Director Susan Raikes <\/strong><\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">said: \u201cThe reopening of Wakehurst Mansion marks a significant milestone in the evolution of this remarkable site. The new exhibition spaces reflect our commitment to deepening public engagement with the natural world through the lens of science, heritage, and innovation. This achievement is the result of a collaborative effort, and we are proud to welcome visitors into a revitalised Mansion that honours its past while embracing an exciting future.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">The National Trust has been an engaged partner throughout the restoration process. <strong>Caroline Ikin, Curator at the National Trust<\/strong> said: \u201cThe National Trust and Kew have worked together at Wakehurst for many years, and we\u2019re delighted the mansion is re-opening following extensive conservation work to the exterior of the building.\u202fThis marks the beginning of an exciting new chapter at Wakehurst, with new displays exploring the rich history of the mansion and the people who\u2019ve lived and worked there.\u202f Collaborating with Kew on the re-opening of these historic spaces has enabled us to share our joint vision of increasing access to our places.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p>Image: <em>Wakehurst Mansion, Claire Takacs \u00a9 RBG Kew<\/em><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Wakehurst&#8217;s historic mansion reopens with two new exhibition spaces and a library for visitors to relax The historic Wakehurst Mansion, a Grade I listed Elizabethan property located in the heart of the Sussex landscape, will reopen to the public on 27th June 2025 following an extensive two-year roof restoration, unveiling two brand new exhibition spaces [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":48274,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1208],"tags":[],"directory-category":[],"event_categories":[],"class_list":["post-48273","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-art-culture"],"acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-04-27 23:43:08","action":"change-status","newStatus":"trash","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thefamilygrapevine.co.uk\/midsussex\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48273","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thefamilygrapevine.co.uk\/midsussex\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thefamilygrapevine.co.uk\/midsussex\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thefamilygrapevine.co.uk\/midsussex\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thefamilygrapevine.co.uk\/midsussex\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=48273"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/thefamilygrapevine.co.uk\/midsussex\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48273\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":48281,"href":"https:\/\/thefamilygrapevine.co.uk\/midsussex\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48273\/revisions\/48281"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thefamilygrapevine.co.uk\/midsussex\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/48274"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thefamilygrapevine.co.uk\/midsussex\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=48273"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thefamilygrapevine.co.uk\/midsussex\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=48273"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thefamilygrapevine.co.uk\/midsussex\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=48273"},{"taxonomy":"directory-category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thefamilygrapevine.co.uk\/midsussex\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/directory-category?post=48273"},{"taxonomy":"event_categories","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thefamilygrapevine.co.uk\/midsussex\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/event_categories?post=48273"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}