A NEW exhibition has opened at the National Trust’s Buckland Abbey giving visitors a glimpse into this working estate.

Chosen by the Cistercian monks nearly 800 years ago for its ability to feed both body and soul, the estate is rich in wildlife and habitat, from the gardens into the orchards, past the ponds, through the meadow and out into the woodland

Through displays using sound and images, visitors can discover the plants and animals living on the estate and what the challenges those facing habitats in the next 800 years.

Visitors can also add their pledge for nature and attach it to a specially created tree made of hemp rope.

Simon Thompson, visitor services manager at Buckland Abbey said: ‘This display is a culmination of many months of work and what we’ve discovered about how the Cistercian monks managed the estate 800 years ago. We can’t wait to see what nature pledges our visitors will add to our hemp tree.’