THE restoration of the gardens of a West Devon estate is to be celebrated in a new television series highlighting the horticultural heritage of the South West.

Endsleigh estate at Milton Abbot, is the latest subject in a new half-hour television series for Carlton.

The 'Gardeners' Tales' programme chronicles the major restoration work at the Regency period estate, particularly the work in the gardens, which was made possible by a £1.2-million grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund.

'The funding has enabled us to restore the ornamental gardens around the house,' said Endsleigh landscape designer Richard Stone.

The charitable trust, Friends of Endsleigh, which owns the house, faced a massive task in restoring the gardens, left in a state of disrepair since the 1950s. Much of that work is captured in the film.

The Heritage Lottery funded work began in 1998 and is part of a ten year restoration project at the country estate.

Mr Stone said the programme featured the restoration and re-planting of the gardens' long border, the formation of an arboritum and the repair of a rustic bridge which suffered storm damage.

Work on the garden's built features dating from the Regency period will also be shown, as will garden clearance, tree felling and preparation work.

'There are some wonderful little vignettes with some of the great characters at Endsleigh,' said Mr Stone.

He said the work funded by lottery money was only part of the restoration project at Endsleigh —repairing the original built features in the garden has proved most expensive.

Endsleigh Trust administrator David Hourahane, said that he was pleased with the way the programme turned out.

'It is a very impressive programme, they look at the whole aspect of it, so it is a very comprehensive and sympathetic programme.'

One unusual problem which faced the estate was the repair of brittle sheep's knuckles on the floor of some terrace areas on the estate. Using sheep knuckles as a floor covering was a specialist skill during the 19th Century. The Trust had investigated the feasibility of using real sheep knuckles for authenticity, but found technical problems and are now considering using artificial ones instead.

The documentary programme, narrated by Jenny Agutter, was shot at Endsleigh at intervals over 12-18 months, allowing viewers to see how the restoration work has developed.

Endsleigh House was once the Duke of Bedford's fishing and shooting lodge. The gardens, originally designed by landscaper Humphrey Repton, integrate plants and trees brought from all over the world.

'Gardener's Tales' will be broadcast on Carlton Westcountry, tomorrow, (November 23), at 2.40pm.