 We have selected some of Kent’s great historic gardens open
to the public. They are all wonderful to
visit for their beautiful gardens and magnificent parks. Their history reveals the richness and
originality of gardening in Kent for over 500 years and the styles that still
influence us today, whatever the size of our garden.
Knole Sevenoaks TN15 0RP
Knole house is surrounded by Kent’s finest Tudor deer park.
It has been described as ‘neither sublime nor picturesque. It is, however, especially in the distant
view, authentic, looking almost exactly as it did in the year Thomas Sackville
died (1608)’. These parks are the
forerunners of the great English 18th Century landscape park.
Tel: 01732 450608 (info line)
01732 462100
Fax: 01732 465528
Email: knole@nationaltrust.org.uk
Admission: £9 Adult, £4.50 Child, £22.50 Family, £7.60
Groups
Admission (Garden only): £2 Adult, £1 Child (with gift aid
included)
Opening:
Park/Shop/Tea Room 1
March – 9 March 08 11-4 Sat and Sun
House 15
March – 2 Nov 08 12 – 4 Wed – Sun
Tue
29 July – 2 Sep & Bank Holiday (BH) Mon
Shop/Tea Room (TR) 15
March – 2 Nov 08 10.30 – 5 Wed – Sun
Tue
29 July – 2 Sep & Bank Holiday (BH) Mon
Christmas Shop/TR 5
Nov – 21 Dec 08 11 – 4 Wed – Sun
Garden 2
April – 22 Oct 08 11 – 4 Wed
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Mount Ephraim Faversham ME13 9TX
A fine example of high Edwardian gardening with a Japanese
Garden, rockery, topiary and formal terracing. There are some fine trees.
Still being developed by the family that built the house in
the 1880s.
Tel: 01227 751496
Email: info@mountephraimgardens.co.uk
Admission: £4.50 Adults, £2.50 Child (3 – 16yrs), £1 Disabled,
£4 Groups (10+), £30 Family, £12 Season Ticket
Opening: Gardens open from Easter Sunday – End September,
Wed, Thur, Sat, and Sunday 1 – 5.
BH from 11 – 5.
Topiary Tea Rooms Wed – Sun + BH Mondays
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Sissinghurst
Castle Garden near Cranbrook TN17 2AB
The famous garden made by Vita Sackville- West (who was
brought up at Knole) and Harold Nicolson between 1931 and 1962 when it was
given to the National Trust.
It is a late Arts and Crafts and plantswoman’s garden with a
series of small formal gardens, each with its own character and lavishly planted, including the famous White
Garden. They are linked by strong axes
and viewpoints. Wonderful at any time of
the year.
Tel: 01580 710701 (Info line)
01580 710100
Email: sissinghurst@nationaltrust.org.uk
Admission: £9 Adult, £4.40 Child, £22.50 Family, £7.80
Groups
Opening: Garden 15 Mar – 2 Nov 08 11.30 – 6.30 Mon, Tue,
Fri, Sat and Sun
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Penshurst
Place Penshurst TN11 8DG
A 19th Century reinterpretation of formal 16th and 17th century gardens. Each one has its own theme
and some have a contemporary design such as a Union flag design in red and
white roses and lavender. Other gardens include an Italian garden with formal
parterre, a rose garden and a nuttery.
The original 16th century gardens were mentioned
by Sir Philip Sidney in his Arcadia.
House & Gardens Admission: £8.50 Adult, £5.50 Child
(5-16yrs), £23 Family, £7 Group (15+)
Gardens Only: £7 Adult, £5 Child (5-16), £20 Family, £7 Adult
Group (15+).
Guided tours of garden: £8.50 Adult, £5 Children.
Opening: House and Gardens weekends fro m1 March, daily from
21 March until 2 Nov.
Garden opens 10.30 – 6.
House 12 – 4.
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Chartwell near Westerham TN16 1PS
Was the home of Winston Churchill and now preserved by
National Trust as a museum to his memory. Churchill developed the garden and
small parkland from the 1920s and lived there until his death in 1965. He built
most of the garden brick walls himself. A pavilion in the garden commemorates
the exploits of the first Duke of Marlborough and in the orchard is Churchill’s
painting studio.
Tel: 01732 866368 (info line)
House and Garden Admission: £11.20 Adult, £5.60 Child, £28.00 Family, £9.30 Groups
Garden only: £5.60 Adult, £2.80 Child, £14 Family, £4.65
Groups
Opening: House+ Garden: 15 Mar – 29 June. 11- 5 pm, Wed-
Sunday
1July
– 31 Aug. 11- 5 pm, Tue- Sunday
3
Sep – 2 Nov. 11- 5 pm, Wed- Sunday
Opening: Shop+ Garden: 1 Feb – 14 March. 11- 3 pm, Wed- Sunday
15
March – 29 June. 11- 5.30 pm, Wed- Sunday
5
Nov – 21 Dec. 11- 4 pm, Wed- Sunday
27
Dec – 31 Jan. 11- 3pm, Wed- Sunday
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Godinton
Park House and Gardens Godinton Lane, Ashford TN23 3BP
The 17th century house is surrounded by a formal garden
by the late Victorian architect Reginald Blomfield. He believed that all gardens should provide a
formal setting for the house, in contrast to the natural planting principles of
William Robinson and Gertrude Jekyll. Formal topiary links a long pool and tree
lined walks to create axial views. The adjoining park contains many fine trees.
Admission (Garden only): £4 Adult, Child free (-16)
House and Garden: £7 Adult, Child free (-16)
Opening: Garden, Daily 21 March – 27 Oct. 2- 5.30pm
Opening: House, Fri, Sat, Sun 21 March – Oct. 2- 5.30pm
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Doddington
Park near Sittingbourne ME9 0BB
An 18th century parkland on the sides of a narrow
valley on the top of the North Downs. The meadows are managed for nature conservation. The gardens around the house have Edwardian
borders and rockeries which have recently been restored and more recent areas
have been designed and planted.
Tel: 01795 886 101
Admission: £4 Adult,
£3 Wheelchairs, £1 Child. Discounts for groups
Opening: Every Sunday from Easter Sunday to end of September,
2- 5pm
Bank holidays Mondays 2- 5pm
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Groombridge
Place Tunbridge Wells TN3 9QG
Behind the delightful 17th century house (which
was the Vicarage in the recent BBC drama Pride and Prejudice) are terraces
originally design by John Evelyn and containing clipped topiary urns and
statues which have remained more or less unchanged since 17th century. Recently a wonderful woodland valley for children has been designed by
Ivan Hicks.
Tel:
Admission: £8.95
Adult, £7.45 Senior citizens, £7.45 Child (3- 12 years), £29.95 Family (2
adults and 2 children) Discounts for groups
Opening: 15th and 16th March, Daily
from 21 March until 8 Nov. 10- 5.30 pm
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Leeds
Castle Maidstone ME17 1PL
The beautiful moated medieval Castle is surrounded by 18th century parkland and golf course. The
castle was restored in the 1920s and 1930s and a series of gardens including a
working fruit and vegetable garden, have been created around it including a
flower garden designed by Russell Page. More recently a grotto and maze have been
added. Many events are held within the grounds.
Tel: 01622 765400
Admission: £15 Adult,
£12.50 Senior citizens, Students, Disabled £9.50 Child (4- 15 years)
Opening: 10- 6 pm, Daily
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Emmetts
Garden Ide Hill TN14 6AY
A late 19th century plantsman’s garden influenced
by William Robinson. It contains many unusual trees and shrubs, rose and rock
gardens. Magnificent displays of flowers and shrubs can be seen in spring. The
garden is near the highest point in Kent and there are wonderful views between the
informal planting.
Tel: 01732 751509
Admission: £5.90
Adult, £1.50 Child, £13.30 Family, £4.45 Groups
Opening: House+ Garden: 15 Mar – 1June. 11- 5 pm, Tue-
Sunday
4
June – 29 June. 11- 5 pm, Wed- Sunday
2
July – 2 Nov. 11- 5 pm, Wed, Sat, Sun
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The
Salutation Sandwich CT13 9EW
Kent’s best Gertrude Jekyll Garden around a house by Edwin
Lutyens. Beautifully detailed design is a setting for imaginative planting, in
the owners’ recent restoration.
Tel: 01304 619919
Admission: £4.50
Adult, £3 Child (-16), Child (-6) free, £14.00 Family (2 adults and 2 children)
Opening: 21 Mar – 31Oct. 10- 18 pm, Mon- Saturday
31 Oct – 19Dec. 11- 5 pm, Mon- Friday
Open Bank holidays Sundays + Mondays
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Cobham
Hall Cobham DA12 3BL
In magnificent parkland by Humphry Repton, who worked there
for twenty years from 1790, around a grand country 17th century
house that is now a girls school. The parkland is being restored and shows how
Repton introduced more subtle details and views, than the grand panoramas of
Capability Brown.
Tel: 01474 823371
Admission:
Opening: 9 July– Aug. 10- 18 pm, Wed- Sunday
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Scotney
Castle Lamberhurst TN3 8JN
The ruined, moated castle in the valley bottom became the
romantic viewpoint for the house built above it in 1835. This is a classic picturesque landscape, with
a quarry garden and “natural” features overlayed by planting of new species of
azaleas, rhododendrons, kalmias and maples from 1920’s onwards – especially for
autumn colour effects.
Tel: 01892 893820
Admission: £6.60
Adult, £3.30 Child (-16), £16.50 Family, £5.60 Groups.
Opening: 1 Mar – 9
Mar. 11- 4.30 pm, Sat- Saturday
12 Mar – 2 Nov. 11- 5.30 pm, Wed- Sunday
8 Nov – 21Dec.11- 4 pm, Sat- Sunday
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Port
Lympne near
Hythe CT21 4LR
A truly magnificent Arts and Crafts House and Garden built
on a steep hillside for Sir Philip Sassoon c. 1912. Elaborate terracing and
stupendous stairway inspired by Italian Renaissance gardens overlook Romney
Marsh and the sea. The wildlife park is in the parkland.
Tel:
Admission: £11.56 Adult, £9.16 Child (4-16), £44 Family.
Opening: Everyday except Christmas Day. Summer 10-6 pm.
Winter 10- 5pm.
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Hole
Park Rolvenden, near Cranbrook TN17 4JB
The 18th century house is surrounded by parkland.
The gardens with their formal enclosures and magnificent yew hedges date from
the early 20th century and are similar to those at Godinton. The
surrounding woodland has been planted with many interesting varieties of
azaleas, rhododendrons, camellias and maples and are a fine sight in spring
when bluebells are in flower.
Tel: 01580 241344
Email: info@holepark.com
Admission:
Opening:
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Mote
Park Maidstone
The classical mansion overlooks a Capability Brown style,
sweeping 18th century parkland with a lake in the valley
bottom. It has been a public park for
Maidstone since WW2 and much of its beauty has been spoiled by the addition of
leisure centres, playgrounds and car parks. The house and grounds are being
restored and it is hoped that something of the original design will be
recreated.
Tel: 01622 602188
Admission: free
Opening: 365 days a
year
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Belmont Throwley, Faversham ME13 0HH
A fine 1790 house with an orangery by Samuel Wyatt stands in
a beautiful park with many beautiful old trees. The walled kitchen garden has
been restored to a design by Arabella Lennox-Boyd. The Pinetum, a Shell Grotto
and well planted borders, rose garden and a rockery still remain from the 19th century garden.
Tel: 01795 890202
Admission: £3 Adult,
£1 Child.
Opening: House +
Garden.
Last weekend March- Last weekend September. Sat, Sun + BH
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Goodnestone
Park Wingham CT3 1PL
A handsome 18th century house and parkland where
Jane Austen’s brother grew up and she frequently visited. Old trees, the walled
garden and some terracing survive from the 18th and early 19th centuries. A woodland garden dates from the early part of the 20th century. Wonderful plantsman’s gardens
have been developed over the last 50 years, in the walled kitchen garden and
surrounding woodlands.
Tel: 01304 840107
Admission: £4.50
Adult, £SC 4, £2.80 Students, £1 Child (6-16), £1 Disabled, £4 Groups (+20).
Opening: Spring- Sunday 17+ 24 Feb, 12- 4 pm
2,9,16 March, 12- 4 pm
Summer 19 March – 3 Oct, Mon- Fri 11- 5 pm
Sat- Sun 12- 5 pm
1 June – 3 Oct, Tue – Fri, Sun 12 – 5 pm
Open Bank Holidays
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Vinters
Park Maidstone
Only the valley and a small area of parkland remain of the
House and Grounds built by James Whatman, around 1800. Turkey Mill down the valley was the largest
paper mill in Britain at the time. The
original park was designed by Humphry Repton and the site of the house and
surrounding haha walls still exist, with the remains of a 19th century lake, rockery and ice house. Now
managed as a nature reserve.
Open all year
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Hever
Castle Edenbridge TN8 7NG
The Tudor castle, home of Henry VIII’ s second wife, Anne
Boleyn, was acquired by William Waldorf-Astor in 1903 and he created round the
restored castle a Tudor style village and extensive gardens. A great lake was
excavated and formal gardens created enclosed with yew hedges and embellished
with topiary. An Italian garden with grottoes inspired by the Villa d’Este, a
Loggia, elaborate fountains, and rose garden and Pergola Walk are some of the
features of the gardens, all maintained to the highest standard. In addition a
garden planted with azaleas and other spring flowering shrubs including a fine
Davidia provides less formal beauty in spring. There are many events in the
grounds.
Tel: 01732 865224
Admission: Castle and Gardens. £11.50 Adult, £9.70 Senior Citizen, £6.30
Child (5-15), £29.30 Family (2 adults/ 2 children or 1 adult/ 3 children- not
applicable to groups)
Admission: Gardens only. £9.30 Adult, £7.90 Senior Citizen, £6.00 Child (5-15), £24.60 Family (2
adults/ 2 children or 1 adult/ 3 children- not applicable to groups)
Admission: December, Castle only. £6.00 Adult, £3.00 Child, Free entry to
Christmas Shop and Restaurant in December.
Opening: Gardens open 10:45am
Castle opens 12 noon
Main season
1 Mar - Easter:
Wed – Sun. Last admission 4pm. Final exit 5pm.
Easter - 31 Oct: Daily. Last
admission 5pm. Final exit 6pm.
1 - 30 Nov: Thurs – Sun. Last
admission 3pm. Final exit 4pm.
Winter
1-21 Dec: Thurs – Sun. Castle, Christmas Shop and restaurant
only. Last admission 3pm. Final exit 4pm
Please
note that the Yew Maze and the Water Maze open Easter - Oct only weather
permitting. On May 1st last entry to the castle will be 4.30pm.
Marle Place
The ten acres of formal planting and several more acres of woodland and orchards provide a peaceful garden; with features of a Victorian gazebo, Edwardian rockery and walled fragrant garden.
It is a plantsman and artists garden which a restored in the 19th century greenhouse with orchid collection, amongst a mosaic terrace and ornamental ponds.
Tel: 01892 722304
Fax: 01892 724099
Email: lindelwilliams@googlemail.com
Open: March 21st to September 29, 10am to 5pm
Admission: Adults £4.50, Senior Citizens £4.00, Children 4-12 £1.00 Wheelchair users free entry
Squerryes Court
This beautiful 17th century manor house which has been the Warde family home since 1731 and remains a lived in property. There is a lake, restored parterres and an 18th century dovecote surrounded by 20 acres of attractive and historic gardens.
Tel: 01959 562345
Fax: 01959 565949
Email: enquiries@squerryes.co.uk
Open: Easter Sunday – 30 September: Wed, Sun & Bank Holiday Mondays.
NB, Pre-booked groups welcome any day except Saturday during the
season. Closed: October – March.
Admission: House and Garden - Adults £6.50, Seniors £6.00, Child (under 16) £3.50, Family Ticket (2 adults + 2 children ) £13.50.
Garden only - Adults £4.00, Seniors £3.50, Child (under 16) £2.00, Family Ticket £7.50.
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