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Sissinghurst Castle
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Sissinghurst Castle
Biddenden Road
Nr. Cranbrook

TN17 2AB

tel: 01580 710 700
fax: 01580 710 702

Area: Kent
Show Map Location:
Overview Map (30 Km)
Detailed Map (1.5 Km)

Sissinghurst Castle -- Kent
Visitor Information www.nationaltrust.org.uk/sissinghurst -- email: sissinghurst {at} nationaltrust.org.uk

Sissinghurst Castle
Kent
All details updated* as of: 19/01/2011
Text-Only version here

Disabled information plus mobility and walking aids
 Opening Days and Hours

Garden & Vegetable Garden: 12th Mar - 30th Oct; Fri - Tues; 10.30am - 5pm, last admission to Garden 4.30pm before closing, or dusk if earlier
Closes earlier if dusk is before 5pm,
Estate: open all year.

Parties / Coaches: Yes
Groups / Coaches need Appointment:

House Open for Viewing: Yes
The library and Vita Sackville-West's study are open 12 Mar - 30th Oct until 4pm
View this house at StatelyHomes.com

National Garden Scheme days: Yes
Best Times of Year to Visit:
Spring / early summer
Autumn
To see:
Spring bulbs, roses
Autumn herbaceous
 Admission Prices
Gift Aid Admission (Standard Admission prices in brackets):
Adult £11 (£10), child £5.50 (£5), family £27.50 (£25)
 Onsite Facilities
Parking: Yes
Lavatories: Yes
Disabled Access: Yes
Shop: Yes
Plants for Sale: Yes
Lunches: Yes
Teas: Yes
Light Refreshment: Yes
Picnics: Yes
Dogs Allowed: Yes
On Lead only: Yes
Special Events: Yes
Other Facilities:
Shop and Restaurant open 12th March - 20th Dec ; Fri to Tues; 10.30am - 5pm
 Garden Features
Sissinghurst is more than a garden. It is a garden in the ruin of an Elizabethan house, set in the middle of its own woods, streams and farmland and with long views on all sides across the fields and meadows of the Kentish landscape. When Harold Nicolson, the writer and diplomat, and Vita Sackville-West, poet, novelist and gardener, first came here in 1930, Sissinghurst was dripping in its own inheritance; it had been a medieval manor house and was visited by Queen Elizabeth in the 16th century before falling into ruins and being mistreated for nearly 300 year English Heritage Garden Grade: I
National Collection:
 Description of Garden
Designer:
The garden is made in the ruins of a large Elizabethan house set in unspoilt Wealden countryside. The garden described by Harold Nicolson as 'a succession of privacies', reflects the combination of thei owners' characters, he a classicist, who liked formality and clean lines, and Vita, a romantic who favoured profusion and surprise. She wrote, on first seeing the castle, "I fell in love; love at first sight. I saw what could be made of it. It was Sleeping Beauty's Castle, but a castle running away into sordidness and squalor, and a garden crying out for rescue." It is the combination of these two apparent opposite characters which has made the garden such a major influence on late 20th and early 21st century design.

The garden can best be described as a sequence of ten separate gardens linked by vistas. These include the White garden, Rose garden, Lime walk, Cottage garden, Tower lawn & Yew walk, Herb garden, the Moat walk and the Nuttery and the Orchard. The garden is of international importance and repute due to its historic interest, horticultural design significance, plant collection and reputation for the highest horticultural standards.
 History of Garden
Sissinghurst Castle Garden is the twentieth century creation of two English aristocrats, Harold Nicolson & Vita Sackville-West. The tower dates from 1573 and was built for Elizabeth I's visit to Sissinghurst. At its base a tablet simply says "To Vita Sackville-West, who made this garden".
 Nearby Kent Hotels, Facilities & Amenities
Hotels & Accommodation:
B&B, Sissinghurst Farmhouse
Langley Oast, Langley
The Wren's Nest, Hawkhurst
Restaurants:
Inns & Pubs:
Sissinghurst Castle Farmhouse B&B, newly refurbished 5* accommodation on site. Call 01580 720 992 for details.
The Bull, Sissinghurst
Three Chimneys, Biddenden
Villages / Towns / Sightseeing:
Sissinghurst
Cranbrook
Tenterden
Tunbridge Wells
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*Information Updates
We directly contact each garden for update information every year in January.

The garden information above was last updated on 19/01/2011

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0247_Sissinghurst.jpg - Sissinghurst Castle (Kent)