Exbury Gardens & Steam Railway

Gardens open 10th March - 4th November 2012 

 A magical place in the New Forest National Park!

Exbury Gardens were listed amongst the top Gardens in England to visit with children, by readers of BBC Gardeners World Magazine, in April 2010.

The Gardens are a spectacular 200 acre (100 hectare) site, world-famous for the Rothschild Collection of rhododendrons, azaleas, camellias and rare trees and shrubs. This earthly paradise offers a riot of colour in spring, an oasis of tranquility in summer followed by a splendid show as the leaves change in the autumn. Discover Exbury’s hidden beauty and escape the cares of the world as you explore a myriad of pathways.

Events at Exbury 2012

Click on month below to find out more about the events that month or click here to visit Exbury's Website for list of events

June 2012 

The Glory of the Garden 14th April - 10th June

Exbury Gardens are world-famous for the Rothschild Collection of rhododendrons, azaleas, camellias, rare trees and plants.

July 2012

Fri 13 July & Fri 20 July Strawberries and Steam Evening

Staged to celebrate the Hampshire Food Festival, what could be better than a leisurely summer's evening at beautiful Exbury Gardens in the New Forest? Enjoy a summer fruit cocktail on arrival before boarding carriages for a two-circuit run of the Rhododendron Line, where the railway's Summer Lane Garden will be in full bloom. On the second circuit, the train will stop at Exbury North Station, where passengers have the choice of alighting for a 20 min guided walk through the Gardens, passing Jubilee Pond, the Jurassic Boardwalk and Hydrangea Walk. A delicious 2-course meal will be served in Mr Eddy's Restaurant, with food sourced from Hampshire Suppliers - including of course, seasonal strawberries and cream!  Please click here to see menu.

August 2012

Look Twice Art Exhibition 27th July - 23rd September 

A delightful display by local artists with many pieces for sale. The show will be manned with a number of demonstrations taking place.

New Forest Fuchsia Society Display Sat 11th - Sun 12th August

Open from 10am on both days, see a superb display of locally grown fuchsias in an exhibition staged by the New Forest Fuchsia Society. The exhibition will take place in Mr Eddy's Restaurant and will be manned, with fuchsias for sale, and advice / questions concerning fuchsias answered by members of the society.

Sat 25 August - Chapterhouse open-air theatre production Romeo and Juliet, performance commences 7.30pm; gates open 6.30pm.

Chapterhouse Theatre Company presents the greatest love story ever told as Shakespeare's unforgettable tale of romance and passion tours comes to Exbury Gardens. Romeo and Juliet, performance commences 7.30pm; gates open 6.30pm. Tickets available to purchase from the Box Office, tel: 023 8024 5750. Adults £13.50 Students & Children £9 Families (2 Adults & 2 Children) £40 Parties of 10+ receive a 10% Discoun.

September 2012

Look Twice Art Exhibition 27th July - 23rd September

A delightful display by local artists with many pieces for sale. The show will be manned with a number of demonstrations taking place.

October 2012

Mon 1st Oct - Sun 4th November - Nerine Exhibition and Wild Autumn Art Display, Five Arrows Gallery

See Exbury's fantastic collection of Nerine Sarniensis in the Five Arrows Gallery, specially prepared to highlight the extraordinary beauty of these hybrids as they scintillate under direct light. There will be a range of Nerines for sale. Artist Peter Thwaites will be exhibiting original works in the Gallery as well as having prints (mounted & framed) plus greetings cards & calendars available for sale. His paintings are of such a high standard that he received a commission from the British Mycological Society to illustrate their Pocket Guide to Common Fungi.  

1st October - 4th November - Nerine Display

See Exbury's fantastic collection of Nerine sarniensis in the Five Arrows Gallery, specially prepared to highlight the extraordinary beauty of these hybrids as they scintillate under direct light. Lionel de Rothschild first developed and hybridised these tender greenhouse-loving Nerines at Exbury in the 1920s and 1930s, coming up with many classic blooms. The collection was dispersed in 1974 when the best bulbs were acquired by enthusiast and plantsman extraordinaire, the late Sir Peter Smithers, one-time MP for Winchester and Secretary-General of the EU in Strasbourg, holder of 8 RHS Gold Medals for plant photography and the Veitch Gold Memorial Medal for contributions to horticulture.

Sat 20 & Sun 21 October RHS New Forest Breakfast Walk

Enjoy a wonderful early morning tour of Exbury Gardens with Head Gardener John Anderson, exploring the best of the autumn colour in Yard Wood. The 1 ½ hour walk is guaranteed to work up an appetite for a delicious 3-course New Forest breakfast in Mr Eddy's Restaurant. All food sourced from local producers. Strictly limited numbers, booking essential. Free re-entry to Gardens afterwards to view Nerine Exhibition and Wild Autumn Art Exhibition. Time 0800 - 1030am (breakfast taken at approx. 10am) Tickets £19 per person. £15.20 RHS members and Exbury season ticket holders. Booking Office Tel No: 023 8024 5750 all bookings including credit card.

Mon 1st Oct - Sun 4 November - Festival of Autumn Colours

Everyone thinks of Exbury in the Spring, but the Gardens are just as glorious in Autumn with fiery colours from maples, dogwoods and deciduous azaleas. The subtle light tones of Autumn reflect these colours dramatically. Special Autumn Trail leads visitors to the best of the colour.

Sat 13 / Sun 14 October - Big Draw As part of the 'Big Draw' weekend.

Exbury will be welcoming children free of charge into the Gardens. Children will be encouraged to collect fallen autumn leaves and berries to help create a collage with the National Association of Flower Arrangement Societies (NAFAS).

Sat 27 Oct - Sun 4 November Exbury Ghost Train With skeletons, scarecrows and other ghoulish characters on route, dare you ride the Exbury Ghost Train?

Enter the pitch-black tunnel at your peril. Family fun. Full of interesting stories, dreadful puns & even more terrible jokes! Come in fancy dress and receive a free treat bag. There are wonderful autumn colours, a colourful nerine exhibition and autumn art display, and a "Spooky Tree trail" to follow around the Gardens. Pre-booking highly recommended for all dates and essential for Sun 31st October. It's all aboard for a Halloween "Phantom- mime"! Booking Office Tel : 023 8024 5750.  

December 2012

Sat 15, Sun 16, Sat 22, Sun 23 Dec - Exbury Santa Steam Specials FOCAL EVENT

Wrap up warm and join in Christmas festivities at Exbury Gardens and Steam Railway in the New Forest. A musical train ride awaits, through wintery gardens with seasonal characters - reindeer and snowmen - to spot along the way. There's hot punch for adults & a festive chocolate for children. Children can visit Santa's Magical Grotto for a personal family meeting with Santa, where they will receive a quality gift-wrapped present. Lots of free photo opportunities with Santa, Mrs Christmas, snowmen and reindeer, to take away lasting memories. There's Christmas shopping in Exbury's Gift Shop and Plant Centre. Why not follow the Christmas Trail around the Gardens? Warming meals in Mr Eddy's Restaurant. Pre-booking essential.  

  Exbury Gardens & Steam Railway

From botanical rarities to masses of spectacular colour, there is something for all to enjoy – a place to escape from the cares of the world. Lionel de Rothschild was a keen collector of plants, particularly rhododendrons and azaleas. He was also a highly successful hybridizer of many different species and Exbury is still filled with his creations. This tradition has been continued by his descendants, his sons Edmund and Leopold and grandsons Nicholas and Lionel, who actively continue to develop the gardens to this day. Both Lionel and Edmund, who passed away in 2009 aged 93, were awarded the highest possible honour by the RHS in recognition of their horticultural achievements – the Victoria Medal of Honour. Father and son were described as “bankers by hobby, and gardeners by profession” and their Exbury legacy is today enjoyed by an annual 100,000 plus visitors from all corners of the world. Exbury Gardens were awarded the coveted HHA/Christie’s “Garden of the Year” in 2001.  

Click here to view more information about the Gardens including current flowering conditions, Head Gardener's notice board, plant & tree collections, photographs, videos and much more.

The Exbury Gardens Steam Railway follows a one and a quarter mile circular route on a 12 ¼” gauge and is a wonderful and evocative way to see the gardens. The sights and sounds of the liveried blue engines are a draw for visitors of all ages. After leaving Exbury Central Station, the train enters the Summer Lane Garden with a bridge, tunnel, causeway and series of individual themed gardens based on character and texture. The collection of plants reflect the seasons and can only be seen from the train.

Children will enjoy spotting a number of woodland moss animals, including deer, rabbits, a squirrel, fox and frog, together with contemporary metal sculptures. Passing out of the Summer Lane Garden, the train travels on through a wooded area, revealing glimpses of the Rock Garden.

A steep gradient leads to a curving timber viaduct, with fine views over the Wildlife Ponds. The train then passes a Plant Nursery and a Pumpkin / Exotic Fruit Patch and on to a second lake, home to "Hump-phrey, The Lake Moss Monster." Close by is a Sunflower Field, at its peak in summer (though the Exbury deer have severely depleted the 2010 crop!), before the train loops around the oldest tree in the Gardens, the Domesday Yew.

Exbury North Halt in the American Garden, so called because it contains rhododendron hybrids from the USA, enables visitors to hop off the train and explore this area before returning to Exbury Central on foot or by train.

To find out about the Steam Train's timetable please click here.

Family tickets are available at the gate, and there is a nominal children’s entry price to the Gardens as we recognize that most will wish to ride the Gardens Steam Railway. A range of family events are held throughout the year, including an Easter Parrot Trail and plant explorer tours during the spring half term, and special activities at our summer Tea Festival. 

During the Exbury rhododendron and azalea season children continue a long-held Rothschild family tradition of collecting fallen petals on twigs and sticks or pieces of string. These resemble floral “knicker-bocker glories” and can be taken home or left to decorate the entranceway to the Gardens. The end of the main rhododendron season is marked by “Petal Fall Weekend” when children are welcomed into the Gardens free of charge and encouraged to collect fallen petals for a large collage prepared by a local NAFAS team.

Summer is a favourite time for families to picnic in the Gardens, There are two designated picnic areas, one close to Jubilee Pond with its lazy koi carp, golden orfe and hovering dragonflies, and a second close to the Five Arrows Gallery. The fish at Jubilee and Top Ponds are an endless source of fascination for children – and also for the herons that regularly visit! Children should keep their eyes peeled for all manner of wildlife – in addition to fish and herons they might expect to see pheasant, squirrels, dragonflies and butterflies in the summer, a range of birdlife including tree crawlers and kingfishers, and possibly New Forest deer. Families can discover more in the Gardens at this time of year by following our Family Trail, with the reward of some free seeds to collect at its end.

For many families the Exbury Steam Railway is a highlight of a visit to the Gardens. The 20 min journey around the north-east corner of the Gardens commences at Exbury Central Station (modeled on Aviemore in Scotland) when the guard invites a young passenger to wave the green flag to the driver. Children are encouraged to look out for the railway’s woodland creatures made out of moss, including rabbits, a squirrel, frog, owl, deer, New Forest pony and even a Lake Moss Monster named Hump-hrey! After your railway journey, why not pause for a while at the turntable, a great opportunity to get close to Exbury’s steam engines, Rosemary, Naomi, Mariloo and Eddy the Diesel. New for 2010 will be a walk-through Engine Shed Exhibition - this is scheduled to open in late spring. The Railway has a very established and popular programme of special events, including our standout “Ghost Trains” and “Santa Steam Specials.”

The first recorded reference to Exbury is in the Domesday Book of 1086 where the village is noted down as being called Teocrabrae. (The “T” was thought to be a diminutive of “at eocrabrae”). The two recorded heads of family were Bolla and Wolfgeat. They farmed 27 hides (270 acres) each. The next known reference to Exbury was in 1217, when the small town of Exbury, at that time owned by the Berkeley family, was destroyed by the French, retreating following their defeat at the Battle of Lincoln. Only a small chapel and a number of scattered farmsteads remained.

There is little recorded history between the Battle of Lincoln and the purchase of the estate in 1726 by William Mitford. One of his first acts was to plant the cedars of Lebanon near his farm, later to become Exbury House, plus many avenues of trees radiating out from the House. However many of these avenues did not survive his grandson William Mitford, who was an avid follower of the Reverend William Gilpin M.A. and the “Picturesque” movement. The Top Pond formed part of William Mitford’s “Ladies Walk”. The “Gentleman’s Ride” has now become the public highway that loops through the centre of Exbury, each corner of which is designed to frame a view of the Isle of Wight. This can still be seen today, but only from on horseback, across the top of hedges!  

To find out more about the history of Exbury please click here.

Click here to find out about Weddings

and here to find out about Corporate Events at Exbury Gardens.