Two bridges built to honour the Queen have been closed for safety reasons.

The footpath at Queen's Walk at Sheffield Park Gardens, near Haywards Heath, has been closed by owners National Trust until further notice.

Contractors have started work on dismantling two bridges at the eastern end of the lake. A recent survey revealed main timbers needed replacing because of wood rot.

The bridges were built by Army volunteers in 1977 for the Queen's Silver Jubilee, so the thousands of visitors to the gardens could take a circular walk around the lake. The work is expected to take several weeks to finish.

To allow contractors to work on the bridge, water levels have been reduced. The trust said staff are taking the opportunity to clear fallen material from the edges of the lake at the same time.

The garden has strong Royal connections. Prince Charles visited just after the 1987 Great Gale to congratulate staff on their work clearing up and restoring the garden after it suffered severe damage to trees and shrubs.

The estate dates back to about 1292, although the National Trust did not take over the gardens until 1954. In the late 1800s the Australian cricket team opened their tour on a cricket pitch at the estate against a Lord Sheffield team captained by W.G. Grace.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.