A POETRY trail has been launched in the gardens of the National Trust's Kingston Lacy mansion.

The trail features some well-known and loved verse, as well as some less well-known, but all on the theme of spring.

Kingston Lacy visitor experience officer Rob Greenhalgh said: "Kingston Lacy is at its best in the spring, starting with the spectacular snowdrop displays in February right through to the daffodils and now the bluebells which are just starting to come out.

"We also have cherry blossoms and displays of rhododendrons and camellias. Since, for centuries, we know that people have been inspired by spring to take up a pen and write, we thought we would bring the two together and maybe inspire another Wordsworth, Hardy or Bronte to create their own tribute to spring."

The trail starts with a poem called The Four Seasons penned by local schoolgirl Viola Bankes aged 12. An extract from Thomas Hardy’s Weathers in which he describes the sound of bird song in spring can be found in the Victorian Fernery.

Meanwhile, in the Japanese garden are two Haikus by Kobayashi Issa, and William Wordsworth’s daffodil poem is also included in the Lime Avenue.

One of Wordsworth’s contemporaries, the controversial Lord Byron, was a great friend of William John Bankes at Kingston Lacy and was described by Byron as his greatest critic. An extract from his poem She Walks in Beauty is included among the camellias on the Winter Walk.

To help inspire visitors to pen their own verses the National Trust are working with Poole Poetry Group to run a series of poetry workshops. These workshops are running on Sundays until May 17, from 11am – 1pm and 2-4pm, incorporating a one hour session followed by an hour of help and advice for visitors to write their own poems.

Workshops are free and open to all on the day. Visit www.nationaltrust.org.uk/kingstonlacy for more details.