************* Garden Owners, Please copy this information and paste it into an email to: wb [at] armchair-travel [dot] com Please make any changes in BRIGHT RED in your email back to us. Regards, Armchair Travel Co Ltd http://www.armchair-travel.com ************* Garden Name: Hall Place & Gardens Last Modified: 26/01/2011 Garden ID: 0563 pic: 0563_HallPlaceBexley.jpg Owner: Sarah Fosker Address: Bourne Road Bexley Postcode: DA5 1PQ County: Kent tel: 01322 526574 fax: 01322 522921 website: www.hallplace.com email: info {at} hallplace.org.uk Features: Tropical glass houses and plant displays. Environmental education garden (taught lessons for groups can be booked in advance). Topiary lawn. Herb garden. Flora for Fauna garden. Walled Nursery. Working allotments. Inspirational herbaceous border. Grass Maze. One of a very few gardens to have been awarded the Civic Trust's Green Flag award for ten successive years. English Heritage Grade: Opening Times: Formal gardens & park; every day from 9am - dusk, closed Christmas Day & New Year's Day Best Times of Year to Visit: All year To see: National Collection: National Garden Scheme days: No Comments: Parties / Coaches: Yes Comments: Groups can pre-book if they require a guided tour of the house and/or gardens (£6 per person, £10 per person for both tours). Booking line 020 8298 6951 Viewing by Appointment: Yes Comments: Guided tours of house and garden booked by telephone. House Open for Viewing: Yes Comments: 1st Jan - 31st Mar; Wed - Sat ;10am - 4pm; Sun & BHs 11am - 4.45pm 1st Apr - 31st Oct; Mon - Sat 10am - 4.45pm; Sun & BHs 11am - 4.45pm 1st Nov - 30th Nov; Mon - Sat 10am - 4pm; Sun & BHs 11am - 4pm 1st Dec - 31st Dec; Tues - Sat 10am - 4pm, Sun & Mons closed. Last admission 30 mins before closing Admission Prices: Free entry to House & Gardens. Donations are always welcomed to help with the upkeep of the historic house. Special events are often charged for, please 'phone for details. Parking: Yes Lavatories: Yes Disabled Access: Yes Shop: Yes Plants for Sale: Yes Lunches: Yes Teas: Yes Refreshments: Yes Picnics: Yes Dogs allowed: No Only on Lead: No Events: Yes Other Facilities: Dogs are permitted in restricted areas only. On-site cafe & pub. Easter Eggstravaganza - Easter Monday 5th April, 11am - 3pm - £4 per child. Tickets on the day Forties Festival - Bank Holiday Monday 31st May 11am - 5pm; On the day: Adults £7, Children (16 and under) £5; In advance: Adults £6, Children (16 and under) £4 G.I Jive Swing Dance: Bank Holiday Monday 31st May 6pm - 9pm, £16 per person Glorious Gardens Tour - Wednesday 9th June, 2.30pm; £6 per person Open Air Theatre: Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream; Chapterhouse Theatre Company Thursday 17th June, 7.30pm (gates open at 6pm) Adults £12, Concessions £10, Children (5-16yrs) £8, Under 5s free. Open Air Picnic Concert: Belvedere Concert Band - Sunday 18th July, 2pm (gates open at 1.30pm) Festival of British Archaeology Family Day - Sunday 1st August, 11am - 3pm; Free admission Open Air Cinema: Thursday 5th August - Some Like it Hot (1959) Tree Tour - Tuesday 10th August, 2pm - 4pm; £6 per person Open Air Cinema: Thursday 12th August - Raiders of the Lost Ark Open Air Theatre: Robin Hood - Cambridge Touring Theatre; Thursday 26th August, 6pm (gates open at 5pm); Adults £12, Concessions £10,; Children (5-16yrs) £8, Under 5s free Bat Walk for families - Tuesday 31st August and Wednesday 1st September, 8pm; Suitable for family groups - all children must be supervised. No children under 5. Bat Walk for adults - Thursday 2nd September, 8pm Designer: F. H. Eul Description of Garden: The house and grounds, consisting of 14 hectares, are located on the banks of the River Cray in historic Bexley. The gardens are renowned for their spectacular topiary planted for the Queen's Coronation in 1953. This includes a full set of Queen's Beasts modelled on the originals at Hampton Court Palace. The extensive gardens include a formal presentation garden, a sensory garden, a grass maze, a nursery and tropical glasshouses with model display gardens. There are also romantic wildflower gardens and recreational sports grounds on the estate. The estate also boasts a wide variety of wild life including up to 45 species of birds. There is also a wonderful collection of mature trees, including 150-year old London Planes and established Giant Redwoods. History: Hall Place Mansion was built in 1537 during the reign of Henry VIII for Sir John Champneis, the Lord Mayor of London. The gardens were first opened by HRH the Duchess of Kent, Princess Marina in 1952 who planted a commemorative cedar to mark the event. The Bexley Heritage Trust, a not-for-profit organisation, manages the House and Gardens. Between 1944 and 1974, F.H.Eul NDH, DInstPA, former President of Kew Guild, was Director of Parks for the Gardens in Bexley. It was during this period that he prepared the overall design layouts of Hall Place. This was to replace the existing pasture land with the formal gardens that now exist. He supervised the detailed implementation of each part of the new gardens. Different parts of the gardens were designed and created, on a phased development, and approved by the Local Authority Council. Mr Eul is commemorated with a clipped yew tree, with plaque, which lies to the west of the Elizabethan house. Local Inns: Accomodation: Restaurants: Village/Town/Sightseeing: Bexley Village. Danson Historic House National Trust's Red House