A MEETING is to take place next week to recruit volunteers to help reopen an historic gardens to the public.

The Friends of Old Durham Gardens hopes to restore the 17th Century ornamental gardens in Shincliffe to their former glory and is appealing for supporters to come forward and lend a hand.

At present, the site is open to the public just once a year, as part of the annual Heritage Open Day event, but organisers hope to recruit enough volunteers to open up regularly throughout the summer months.

Colin Jubb, treasurer of the Friends of Old Durham Gardens, said: "We are hoping that during we can open the gardens up much more frequently, hopefully on summer afternoons, and we have acquired some of the seats which were in the Market Place for use by visitors."

The gardens date back more than 300 years and originally surrounded a manor house. The building was later demolished, but the Jacobean gardens, including a beautiful walled garden and orchards, remained open and became a popular spot with the city’s residents.

Mr Jubb said: "By 1850 it was very much a public gardens for people living in Durham.

"There was a public house in the gardens - The Pineapple - and an outdoor dancefloor, which was a very popular venue for young couples."

However, after the Second World War, the gardens changed hands once more and fell derelict before being bought by the now defunct Durham City Council around 1980.

The Friends group was set up last year with the aim of renovating the one-hectare gardens and making them available to the public once more.

Mr Jubb said: "We started last year collecting names and finding out if there was any interest.

"We have probably got well over 100 people who have expressed an interest in supporting it, although not necessarily to get involved in physical maintenance."

Supporters have since formed an organising committee, but only limited work on the ground was possible over the winter months and they have now organised a launch event taking place in The Lantern Room at Durham Town Hall on Wednesday, May 25 at 7pm, which will include a talk on their history and details of how to get involved.

They are also holding a light gardening day on Saturday from 1pm onwards.