On Wednesday 15 January 2025, a newly commissioned statue, ‘Diana of Gabii’ (sometimes known as Diana of Gabies), was unveiled in the Swiss Garden. In a small ceremony attended by the Lord-Lieutenant of Bedfordshire, The Friends of The Swiss Garden, representatives from the National Garden Scheme and Bedfordshire Gardens Trust, Trustees of The Shuttleworth Trust, and Shuttleworth Staff, the previously lost statue took its place within the 9-acre listed Garden.
The original statue is believed to have been made by the Austin and Seeley company in the early nineteenth century for Lord Ongley, the creator of the Swiss Garden in the 1820s. Not much is known about why the statue was lost. In the 1970s, the Swiss Garden fell into disrepair and was largely neglected, and so it is perhaps at this time that the statue was either damaged and removed or stolen. The Friends of the Swiss Garden, a registered charity set up in 1992, were established to support, promote and raise funds for the Swiss Garden. Following the Swiss Garden’s 200th anniversary in 2024, the Friends felt that reinstating the statue as a permanent fixture of the garden would be a great addition to commemorating the anniversary.
Tony Young, Head Gardener at the Shuttleworth Collection and Garden, said, “We are delighted that the Friends of The Swiss Garden have so generously donated the funds to reinstate Diana of Gabii in the garden. Having seen a photo of the original, it’s fantastic to see another iconic element of the garden returned to its rightful place. We hope visitors will come and enjoy the statue and all the other wonderful features our space has to offer.”
Our Swiss Garden is one of the best kept examples of a Regency Garden in the UK. In the unique ‘Swiss Picturesque’ style, it includes 13 listed features and is a hugely popular element of the our visitor attraction. Visitors can see the new statue on a dedicated plinth on ‘Diana Island’ within the Swiss Garden.