England Garden Shuts Gates Due to Unprecedented Visitor Numbers

Colesbourne Park closed early on Sunday, February 16th. People know it as ‘England’s greatest snowdrop garden,’ and the park sits near the A417 road. They could not handle so many visitors.

The park was once featured on BBC’s Countryfile. It also appeared on The One Show. Owner Sir Henry Elwes made a statement, saying they were very sorry to close.

An unusual number of cars arrived before two PM; they had way more than ever before in the last 35 years. The car park held 650 cars and filled up. He thinks their website, as well as appearances on TV shows, likely helped draw crowds.

They will soon use pre-booked tickets with assigned entry times in 2026. Visitors who were frustrated will get free tickets. Henry John Elwes started the snowdrop collection.

He made plantings in the late 1800s and found Galanthus elwesii in Turkey. It’s a giant snowdrop species he discovered while traveling in 1874.

He planted snowdrops all over the garden. Now, it has many snowdrop populations descended from those original plantings, and hybrids are also growing there. The Elwes family has owned the estate since 1600.