> SlowTrav > United Kingdom & Ireland > Travel Notes > Southeast England

Southeast England - Gardens, Parks and Landscapes

by WSB

Links are given in the text below to maps on the Multimap website; this will initially display an extract from the local Ordnance Survey map zoomed in to the place of interest; you can zoom in and out, see other local points of interest and also switch to other map formats if you prefer; there are also links on the map to Wikipedia articles on other nearby places.

Key

Places where members of certain organisations get free or reduced price admission:

NT: National Trust property
EH: English Heritage property
HHA: member of Historic Houses Association (Note: because they are privately owned, HHA houses often have a lived-in atmosphere that is lacking in the more impersonal NT and EH properties)
AF: membership of the Art Fund allows free or reduced-price admission

Star-ratings in prominent guide books:

J: star rating (***** is top-rating) in England’s 1000 Best Churches or England’s 1000 Best Houses by Simon Jenkins
F: star rating (***** is top-rating) in Britain’s Best Museums & Galleries by Mark Fisher
GG: star rating (** is top-rating) in Good Gardens Guide

Gardens and Parks

Garden of Manor of Dean

The garden of Manor of Dean at Tillington, Sussex (opened under the National Gardens Scheme – see below)

Emmets Garden, Kent (NT) (GG*) (Multimap)

Goodnestone Park Gardens, Kent (HHA) (J**, GG**) (Multimap)

Great Comp, Kent (GG*) (Multimap)

Groombridge Place, Kent (GG*) (Multimap)

Scotney Castle, Kent (NT) (J**, GG*) (Multimap)
One of England’s most romantic gardens, with castle ruins in a lake.

Sissinghurst, Kent (NT) (J**, GG**) (Multimap)
One of England’s most famous and influential gardens.

Painshill Park, Surrey (HHA) (GG*) (Multimap)
Pioneering 18th century landscape garden, being authentically restored.

Windsor Great Park (Savill Gardens & Valley Gardens), Surrey (G**) (Multimap)
Great ornamental gardens on the Royal Estate.

Winkworth Arboretum, Surrey (NT) (GG*) (Multimap)
Great collection of trees, especially fine in spring (bluebell time) and autumn.

Wisley, Surrey (HQ of Royal Horticultural Society) (GG**) (Multimap)
Headquarters of the Royal Horticultural Society.

Leonardslee, West Sussex (GG**) (Multimap)
Famous for its rhododendrons and azaleas in a steep valley with a remarkable “Himalayan” feel.

Nymans, West Sussex (NT) (J***, GG**) (Multimap)
One of Sussex’s best gardens. Go, if you can, in high summer (around July and August) to see the famous double border at its best.

Pashley Manor Gardens, East Sussex (HHA) (G*) (Multimap)
Beautifully maintained private garden.

Sheffield Park, East Sussex (NT) (GG**) (Multimap)
Best in spring or, especially, autumn for the colour around the lakes.

Sheffield Park in October

Wakehurst Place, West Sussex (NT) (J*, GG**) (Multimap)
An outpost of Kew Gardens (the Royal Botanic Garden) specialising in plants that prefer the acid, sandy soil of the High Weald.

West Dean (HHA), West Sussex (J**, GG*) (Multimap)
The highlights are beautifully maintained walled kitchen garden and glasshouses.

National Gardens Scheme
Many private gardens are opened to the public for charity, normally for just one or two days per year, under the auspices of the National Gardens Scheme. These are well worth looking out for, not least for the delicious tea and cakes that are usually served, often on the lawn. Details are published in the annual Yellow Book and also in the handy Garden Finder on their website.