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City & Village Tours: 0845 812 5000 info@cityandvillagetours.com
From
Stevenage
Hemel Hempstead
Basingstoke
Reading
Petersfield
Croydon
Sevenoaks
Dartford
Chelmsford
Miles
47
32
30
22
50
35
48
56
73
The Valley Gardens in Spring
The Valley Gardens were planted from the
1940s onwards under the eye of King George
VI and Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother.
It was a bold project undertaken at a time of
great austerity. The publicity at the time said,
the Gardens "always open to the public would
provide pleasant hours of relaxation for many
a tired worker from factory or office".
Our visit starts with refreshments at The Savill
Building before meeting up with a Crown
Estates Warden who will walk as banksman
ahead of your coach as we drive into Windsor
Great Park along the northern side of Virginia
Waster and just pass Smith’s Lawn Polo Club
where we set down. There’s a very easy five
minute walk that ends with a seat and great
views from a pavilion or a 20 minute route with
our guide into the Punch Bowl which is a natural
amphitheatre of multi–coloured Kurume
azaleas. This is one of the most spectacular
Spring sights in the British Isles.
Flowers for a Royal Wedding
Windsor Great Park has historically supplied flora
to Royal Weddings and The Crown Estate were
delighted to be called upon to continue this
tradition for the recent Royal Wedding of the
Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. Flowers from
The Royal Landscape were used in the Bride and
Bridesmaid’s head dresses, bouquets, button-
holes for the Father and Brother of the Bride and
displays in Westminster Abbey.
Having been granted permission by Her Majesty
the Queen to use flowers and foliage from the
gardens of Windsor Great Park, Royal Wedding
florist Shane Connolly contacted The Crown
Estate to discuss his ideas with the gardening
team. There was an ‘English Countryside’ theme
with a request for white cream and green flowers
and an emphasis on fresh and fragrant spring
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