BUCKLAND Abbey celebrates 50 years of public access this weekend.

The former home of Tavistock's famous son Sir Francis Drake, now owned by the National trust, was opened on July 10 1951 by the Earl of Mountbatten as part of the Festival of Britain.

To commemorate the anniversary, the Abbey is to return to the days of Drake, with various displays as well as Drake regalia — including the famous drum.

The celebrations include guided walks on Friday afternoon and continue Saturday with the Ten Tors Orchestra and the Buckland Abbey Festival Choir performing Drake's Drum by Henry Newbolt, set by Andrew Wilson of Kelly College, as well as other pieces.

On the anniversary day itself, Tuesday, the new Elizabethan Garden will be officially opened and at 2.30pm, Cynthia Gaskell Brown, an authority on the subject, will be talking about Drake's Drum and signing copies of her book.