Tourists visiting Cirencester Park will face charges from next month for the first time in 329 years – after Countess Bathurst publicly distanced herself from controversial action amid 'the worst online bullying I've ever experienced'

Tourists visiting the grounds of Lord Bathurst's Cirencester Park will have to pay an entrance fee from next month for the first time in 329 years.

The Gloucestershire estate – run by the Bathursts since 1695 – will require non-local visitors to pay for a pass to access the beautiful grounds after installing electronic gates on the routes in.

Earl Bathurst, known as Lord Apsley until his father's death in 2011, is a keen conservationist who has campaigned for the preservation of the countryside and historic buildings.

He told The Telegraph the move will support restoration and maintenance work and said he is 'delighted to continue sharing Cirencester Park with the local community and visitors to the area'.

But the decision – which critics say will deter visitors – has not been without controversy; Countess Bathurst launched an extraordinary tirade against her own estate manager after falling out with locals over the plans.

Lady Bathhurst said she had received 'some of the worst online harassment and defamatory claims' she had ever experienced from villagers in Cirencester after explaining the new initiative on Facebook.

She said the move was wrongly attributed to her and she faced “disturbing bullying” on social media as a result.

'The blame is now being placed on me, and I can't allow that to happen, and I'm getting little support from the estate agency, who seem perfectly happy with me taking the blame, so I'll deal with the mine have to fight. fighting,” Lady Bathurst said in a Facebook post in 2021.

'To be honest, they weren't my choice either and I was very dissatisfied with them, but the decision had been made and as I have no say in the management of the estate there was nothing I could do.

'I feel uncomfortable with the growing belief that this is all my fault. That is not so,' continued the Countess. She then passed the money directly to her then estate manager.

A spokesperson for Bathurst Estate told the publication: 'The Bathurst Estate is committed to improving the visitor experience within Cirencester Park with the provision of new facilities, information points, family-friendly spaces such as a children's play area and the picnic arboretum at The Old Kennels, whilst retaining the character of a monumental park.

'The management and maintenance of estates and private parks is constantly evolving, with landowners embracing new ways to ensure the continuity of their conservation and conservation work; Cirencester Park is no different.

The Countess of Bathurst (pictured with her husband, the Earl of Bathurst) had previously said she was 'wrongly' given credit for laying charges at Cirencester Park

'The introduction of passes will support this, as will the work of those who ensure the park is safe, that paths are well maintained and that visitor areas are clean, interesting and enjoyable.'

Visitors must purchase the passes from March 15, with an individual Cirencester Park annual pass costing £30.

A day pass costs £4 for adults and £2 for children. Local residents can claim a Cirencester Park Community Pass.

The estate, said to be worth £45 million, extends over 15,500 hectares of countryside that claims to enclose the main source of the River Thames.

Following news of the initiative, Stratton resident Andrew Hodges objected to the move, saying carrying a key card to access the park would be an 'inconvenience'. The times reported in 2021.

Meanwhile, local Jeanette Jefferies said charging some tourists was a “mean-hearted decision”.

Lady Bathurst's mother-in-law, the late Dowager Countess, outraged locals in 2013 when she evicted doctors and nurses from Cirencester Hospital's free car park – she owned the land it stood on – and made it a bounty.