Myddleton House Gardens in Enfield, north London, is set to undergo a two-year revamp after the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) awarded the scheme a grant of £487,500.

The project will include the transformation of the gardens, which were created by gardener EA Bowles, as well as the creation of a new heritage centre and the restoration of historically important artefacts. Artefacts and photographs depicting the life of Bowles will be made available to visitors, as well as the Victorian Kitchen Garden, which will be opened up for the first time to show how horticulture was carried out during the 19th century.

The revamp will also include conservation work to garden features including the Potting Shed, Peach House and pond area, while the new heritage centre will be created in the Grade II-listed stables block to incorporate enhanced visitor facilities and a café. Wesley Kerr, chair of the HLF for London, said: "All great gardens carry the imprint and character of their creator. Even though Edward Bowles died half a century ago, the broad outlines, and some of the plants from one of London's most poetic horticultural plantations, remain at Myddleton House in a remarkably peaceful and evocative setting."

Bowles, who was born at Myddleton House in 1865 and died there in 1954, is also recognised as a writer and botanical illustrator, while there are more than 40 varieties of plants named after him in the Royal Horticultural Society's catalogue. Bowles' biographer and senior gardener at Myddleton House, Bryan Hewitt, added: "The gardens were all but derelict and forgotten until Lee Valley Regional Park Authority began a restoration programme in 1984.

"We will be restoring historically significant monuments such as the Enfield Market Cross and other garden ornaments cherished by Mr Bowles."