Lord Bathurst set to end free entry to Cirencester Park estate

VISITORS to the grounds of Lord Bathurst’s estate will have to pay an entry fee from next month, bringing an end to free access, which the public has enjoyed since 1695.

Cirencester Park, in Gloucestershire, will require visitors to use a pass to access the estate through four electric pedestrian gates. The Earl of Bathurst, whose family has run the estate and the surrounding parkland since 1695, said that the money will go towards restoration and maintenance work.

Charging for access to Bathurst Estate has controversially been broached before. In 2021, Lady Bathurst complained that the estate was receiving “some of the worst online bullying” she had ever experienced.

The Bathurst family has run the Grade I-listed estate uninterrupted. The 18th century landscape park was laid out between 1714 and 1775 with the help of the English poet and satirist Alexander Pope, who is famous for creating Pope’s Grotto, in Twickenham.

The site grew in popularity during the Covid-19 pandemic as residents and visitors sought to go for long walks during lockdown restrictions.

A spokesman for the estate said: “The Bathurst Estate is committed to improvi ng the visitor experience within Cirencester Park with the provision of new facilities, information points, family-friendly spaces such as a children’s play area and the picnic arboretum at The Old Kennels, while retaining the character of a Grade I-listed parkland.

“The management and maintenance of estates and private parklands is ever evolving, with landowners embracing new ways to ensure continuity in their conservation and preservation works; Cirencester Park is no different.” the introduction of passes will support this, as well as the work of those employed to ensure the park is safe, that pathways are well-maintained and visitor areas are clean, interesting and enjoyable.”

An annual pass will cost £30, or £50 for up to six people in the same household. Cost for daily entry will be £4 for adults and £2 for children. Locals, however, will only be charged a one-off £10 fee for a lifetime pass.

The new pass s ystem will be activated on Mar 15.