Meet the Naked couple who created their own Garden of Eden (Photos)

A couple of 'Naked Gardeners' who created their very own Garden of Eden in the grounds of a country manor are selling up - after 'Eve' filed for divorce.

Ian and Barbara Pollard became famous after they shed their clothes and transformed their 16th century home and gardens into a sprawling public paradise of wild flowers.

A series of TV appearances in the 1990s showed the couple in little more than wellies and gardening gloves as their 'clothes optional' days attracted nudists from around the world.

But the couple are set to sell their stunning Wiltshire home of 20 years - and its iconic five-acre gardens - after Mrs Pollard, 62, began divorce proceedings following an apparent argument.

                           

Speaking from Abbey House Gardens in Malmesbury, Wiltshire, Mr Pollard, 68, said: 'The long and sort of it is that Eve is leaving the Garden of Eden.

'Quite simply my wife is divorcing me, which has resulted in the putting of the house and the gardens on the market. It is a real shame and I am very sad and angry about it. I'm a very hurt individual.'

                    

The eccentric pair met 30 years ago and bought the former nunnery its long-neglected grounds before transforming it into a nationally-renowned garden, which opened in 1994.

The building - parts of which date back to Saxon times - became a home for the pair and their three children while they became one of Britain's most famous nudist couples.

Thousands of people visit the picturesque gardens beside the River Avon every year.

The reasons behind Mrs Pollard's sudden departure are unclear, but Mr Pollard described the situation as 'a real shame' and said he is a 'very hurt individual'

The couple's fame grew when they unearthed the skeleton of a 12th century monk in the tulip beds in 1998.

                           

But after just five years of marriage, Mrs Pollard recently left and the home and gardens are set to go on the market in the coming weeks.

The pending sale is likely to spell the end of the road for the medieval town's naked tourists and locals fear the treasured garden could be shut to the public.

Mr Pollard added: 'As well as the personal issues, there is an added impact on the gardens and the town, so I believe people deserve an explanation.

'We have 20 people here who are either employed or volunteer, and Abbey House Gardens are a big draw for the town.

'The house and the gardens will be going on the market in the next few weeks but we have agreed that any sale will not impact on this season, so we will stay open until October as usual.

'But there will obviously be no guarantee that whoever buys Abbey House will want to keep it open.

'We are constantly described by visitors as being much better than Hidcote or Highgrove or Sittinghurst, and some describe us as one of the best gardens in the world.

'It would be lovely if they did see that they could open up the gardens to the public and get an income which covers the expenses of keeping the garden, but who knows?'

Malmesbury's mayor Sue Poole appealed for any prospective buyer to keep the gardens open.

'Abbey House Gardens are very important to the town and has brought in a lot of people to Malmesbury. It has put the town on the map,' she said.

'People come to the tourist information centre and the town hall and ask 'where are the Naked Gardeners' and it will be a very sad loss to Malmesbury.'