Great Houses & Gardens of Southern England
Tour Highlights
Visiting: South East England, Sussex, Kent
Towns & Cities: Arundel, Sissinghurst
Tour Features
Private guided tour, guide and luxury vehicle
Duration: 4 days / 3 nights
Starting: London, Southampton cruise terminal or Heathrow/Gatwick
Finishing: London, Heathrow airport (or wherever you wish)
Key Attractions
RHS Wisley, Petworth House, Arundel Castle, Nymans, Hever Castle, Chartwell House, Penshurst Place, Sissinghurst Castle & Gardens, Great Dixter
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Outline Itinerary
Day 1
Leaving London, our route takes us to the Royal Horticultural Society Gardens at Wisley, Surrey. The historic home of the RHS and undoubtedly one of the finest gardens in the world. Wisley was given to the RHS in 1903 and is now a hub of horticultural excellence and a top visitor attraction, with 240 acres to explore. It is home to some of the largest plant collections anywhere in the globe and showcases inspirational gardening.
Heading south into Sussex we arrive at Petworth House. Inspired by the Baroque palaces of Europe, Petworth House is an extraordinary and surprising ancestral seat created by just one family over 900 years. The 17th-century building you see today comprises grand state rooms which form the centrepiece of your visit. Designed to display the taste, lifestyle and artistic patronage of generations, the state rooms offer an infinity of paintings and sculpture, including major works by Van Dyck, Turner, Reynolds and Gainsborough. A particular highlight is the earliest English globe in existence dating back to 1592.
Day 2:
The next morning our journey takes us to nearby Arundel Castle. There are nearly 1,000 years of history to discover in this great castle and its glorious gardens, with magnificent views over the Sussex countryside and the river Arun. After lunch we reach Nymans gardens, which is a garden lovers' home, with an extensive yet intimate garden set around a romantic house and ruins. A garden for all seasons, with rare and unusual plant collections, set around a romantic house and partial ruins. From here our route takes into Kent, the 'garden of England'.
Day 3:
Our first stop is Hever Castle, with its rich and varied history spanning more than 700 years. The original medieval defensive castle, with its gatehouse and walled bailey, was built in 1270. In the 15th and 16th centuries it was the home of one of the most powerful families in the country, the Boleyns, who added the Tudor dwelling within the walls. The Castle was to become the childhood home of Anne Boleyn, King Henry VIII’s second wife, who became Queen of England for just 1,000 days. Discover the magnificent award-winning gardens set in 125 acres of glorious grounds, with a giant topiary chess set and inhale the fragrance of over 4,000 rose bushes in the quintessential English Rose Garden. Take a stroll through the Tudor Garden, Blue Corner or Rhododendron Walk, which provide colour and interest throughout the year.
A short distance away we arrive at Chartwell, the much-loved Churchill family home from 1922 and a place which remained important to Sir Winston until the end of his life. The rooms remain much as they were when he lived here, with pictures, books and personal mementoes evoking the career and wide-ranging interests of the statesman, writer and painter. A special exhibition gives deeper insight into the life of Churchill through 50 Objects. Chartwell’s hillside gardens reflect Sir Winston’s love of landscape and nature. They include the lakes he created, the kitchen garden and the Marycot, a playhouse designed for his youngest daughter Mary.
Our final stop of the day is Penhurst Place. Penshurst Place & Gardens and the surrounding estate have stood in the historic village of Penshurst since the 14th century, when the awe-inspiring medieval Baron’s Hall was completed in 1341 as a country retreat for the Lord Mayor of London. The stately home and gardens were once used as a hunting lodge for King Henry VIII, and now feature opulent state-rooms that have been showcased in popular TV and film productions. Majestically surrounding the house, over one mile of yew hedging divides the Garden into a series of ‘rooms’, each with its own season and colour.
Day 4:
The final day of the tour finds us starting the day at Sissinghurst Castle and Gardens.Vita Sackville-West, the poet and writer, began transforming Sissinghurst Castle in the 1930s with her diplomat and author husband, Harold Nicolson. Harold's architectural planning of the garden rooms, and the colourful, abundant planting in the gardens by Vita, reflect the romance and intimacy of her poems and writings. Our final stop is at Great Dixter. Great Dixter was the family home of gardener and gardening writer Christopher Lloyd – it was the focus of his energy and enthusiasm and fuelled over 40 years of books and articles. Great Dixter is a historic house, a garden, a centre of education, and a place of pilgrimage for horticulturists from across the world.
We now start our return journey to London, or your required destination, with time to reflect on your experience of some of the magnificent houses and gardens of southern England.
