A LANDOWNER who turned his Hampshire estate into one of the county’s best-known tourist attractions has died at the age of 93.

Edmund de Rothschild, affectionately known as Mr Eddy, opened Exbury Gardens to the public more than 50 years ago after restoring them to their former glory.

He was an internationally renowned figure in horticulture, especially in the field of rhododendron and azaleas.

The 200-acre gardens are almost next door to the National Motor Museum, Beaulieu, founded by Lord Montagu in the early 1950s.

Lord Montagu said: “I was very sad to hear about the death of my good neighbour.

“The two estates have always worked well together. The gardens at Exbury are world famous, attracting visitors from all over the globe.”

An Exbury Gardens spokesman said: “He was deeply loved and admired by his family, step family and many friends.”

Born into the Rothschild banking family, Mr de Rothschild was the son of Lionel de Rothschild, who bought the Exbury Estate in 1919 and created the original gardens.

During the Second World War Exbury House was taken over by the Admiralty and converted into a “concrete battleship” called HMS Mastodon.

Following the war Edmund de Rothschild returned to Exbury after serving in France, North Africa and Italy and began to restore the gardens, which had been badly neglected since Lionel’s death in 1942.

When they were opened to the public in 1955 the queue to get in was a mile long.

Mr de Rothschild was awarded the CBE in 1997 for his charity work and in 2005 he received the Royal Horticultural Society’s Victorian Medal of Honour for his outstanding achievements in horticulture. The gardens themselves have won countless awards.

Mr de Rothchild was a close friend of the Queen, who has paid several visits to Exbury.

In May last year she named one of the engines operating on the gardens’ miniature steam railway before climbing into the cab and taking a ride along the line.

Mr de Rothschild died peacefully at Exbury House last Saturday, a few days after celebrating his 93rd birthday.

A private family funeral in the village church on Friday will be followed by a memorial service in London later this year.