Thursday, October 22, 2015

England, Day Ten, Part Two




After visiting beautiful Bateman's we are traveling to see one of the places I have dreamed of visiting since beginning to garden.  The beautiful Sissinghurst Castle Garden!!!  Believe me, I was so excited to visit this gorgeous place.  I hope you will join me as I share Sissinghurst, the world famous garden of Vita Sackville-West and Harold Nicolson built in the 1930's.  Sissinghurst began life as a Saxon pig farm.  It also housed a small moated manor house.  The family that lived here were the de Saxingherstes.  The original house does not remain but parts of the moat does.  In the late 16th century the Baker family built a Renaissance home, with a vaulted gallery, 37 fireplaces and a tower at the center.

The castle was leased to the government during the Seven Years War (1756-1763).  It was used as a prison camp for 3,000 French sailors.  They destroyed the house.  It is from this period that Sissinghurst became known as Chateau de Sissingherst or Sissinghurst Castle.

The Parish of Cranbrook took out a lease in 1796 to create a poor house where 100 men were offered a home along with employment and food.

In the 1800's Sissinghurst was home to the Mann Cornwallis family.  They repaired the buildings and left their legacy on the tower weather vanes marked MC 1839.

We have parked in the car park and notice that Sissinghurst is a very popular place.  We've checked in and are ready to explore.  Please come along and enjoy the garden with us!




The garden is now cared for by gardeners and many volunteers.  There are several "rooms" with different colors and scents.

Walking through the Arch we can clearly see the age of this beautiful castle.  I love the old leaded windows.




The garden opens up to full view as we walk through the arch.




The borders surround the interior brick walled center of Sissinghurst.  The center lawn consists of beautifully manicured grass.










Continuing along a path to the center back we come to a small garden house with lilacs that smelled heavenly!  There are several buildings dating from the original Tudor period within the garden.  In fact the South cottage and the South side of the house is still occupied by the Nicolson family.  The Priest house to the North of the garden is available to rent through the National Trust cottages.






The white garden is just around the corner.  As the name implies everything is a white bloomer here.  I have known gardeners who only plant white bloomers and it gives a wonderful brightness to a garden.




Roses were in full bloom and just beautiful and so fragrant!  Espaliered on the side of this wall is a beauty!






The tower was built in the 1560's and is the center of the Sissinghurst estate.  This is the view from the white garden.






I am so happy to be at Sissinghurst!  There is so much to see here.  Vita Sackville-West's poetic nature worked with Harold Nicolson's more classic and formal influence to create the most gorgeous garden.  There is so much to explore.  Let's continue on.  We must make our way through the giant hedges.










It is a gorgeous day to enjoy this beautiful garden.  There are flowers blooming everywhere!  Clematis in every color of the rainbow!










There is so much to see at Sissinghurst, but I must go into the herb garden.  Come along and let me show you a very special place.

On the way we see espaliered roses and a plant I don't know the name of!




The herb garden is just around the corner and is a favorite of mine.






Inside the herb garden is this darling bench covered in chamomile!




This little bench looks as if it is straight out of a fairy tale.  In fact the whole garden at Sissinghurst is filled with the dreams that gardeners dream of for their own gardens.

Sissinghurst is also a working farm with cattle, sheep and pigs.  There are rare species of wild flowers, insects and birds.






As much as I want to linger we must move on.  There is a lovely tearoom for us to enjoy our lunch.  Grayden and I ordered a BLT sandwich and tea.  The menu has a wide variety of items that I'm sure you will enjoy.  After lunch we have one more place to visit today.  I hope you will join us! ♥



28 comments:

  1. So lovely, Martha Ellen! I long to visit Sissinghurst one day. You chose the perfect words ~ "Sissinghurst is filled with the dreams that gardeners dream of for their own gardens." The garden rooms are gorgeous. Old stone walls are one of the dreams I have for my own garden. They are a perfect backdrop for an old garden! Thank you so much for taking us to Sissinghurst on a beautiful, blue sky day! It must feel like a dream when you look back at your photos! ♡Dawn@Petals.Paper.SimpleThymes

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    1. Dawn, it does feel like a dream to have been to Sissinghurst. It would be wonderful to have stone walls as grand as that beautiful garden has. We were so fortunate to have had such wonderful weather while we were in England. I do hope your dream of visiting Sissinghurst comes true one day soon. I will certainly never forget it! ♥

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  2. I enjoyed your tour of Sissinghurst so much! I love the different angles in which you captured that wonderful building and garden.

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  3. Oh, Martha Ellen ~ you have saved the best 'til last ~~~ and the music gently playing in the background is the most perfect accompaniment. Sissinghurst is a magical place indeed and you have brought so much joy to this grey day over the big water ~~~ so beautiful I am almost lost for words. Thank you, thank you, thank you for bringing Sissinghurst today ~~~Deb xoxo

    p.s. have you come across the notable plantswoman Sarah Raven who is the wife of Vita Sackville~West's grandson? Well worth a Google.

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    1. Deb, I do not know about Sarah Raven. I will certainly check her out---I love "meeting" new gardeners! I'm so glad you enjoyed Sissinghurst. It was so hard picking the photos for this post as I took tons of photos there.
      I find autumn to be a fickle one with her changes. We have had warm days here since our return from Arizona. Only a light frost in the evenings. Our highs are going to be in the 60's today with a gentle breeze. Our leaves are just beginning to change into their fall dress. Have a cozy day inside, my friend. xoxo ♥

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  4. What a beautiful place. I wonder if you had time to see everything. I love how you took advantage of the tea rooms at the places you visited.

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    1. Dotsie, we did put a lot into our agendas every day. We were able see pretty well what we aimed to visit. Of course, Sissinghurst is the kind of place I could have stayed at all day! ♥

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  5. What a wonderful place, love the gardens.
    Merle............

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    1. Thank you for stopping by, Merle. Sissinghurst is an amazing place. ♥

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  6. Hi Martha! Oh, it must have been wonderful to tour these beautiful gardens! How amazing! You look very cute and spiffy standing there! :) Thanks for popping in to see me.
    Be a sweetie,
    Shelia ;)

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    1. Shelia, I could have spent all day at Sissinghurst! Hope your afternoon is enjoyable! ♥

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  7. Oh how I hope to see Sissinghurst gardens someday. I know we will be going to England in a couple of years, and I hope we will be as organized as you and Grayden were. Thanks for sharing! I love the white garden. I look at pictures of it on-line often.

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    1. Margot, I think you would love Sissinghurst. It is quite special. It was important for us to see as much as we could while we were in England. Be sure to plan so you can visit all the places you wish to see. Grayden did a wonderful job of planning our days. Have a great evening. ♥

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  8. Oh my word, how absolutely gorgeous!

    I have very much enjoyed this garden tour - what a magical place. WOW.

    Thanks so much for sharing! ♥♥♥

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    1. Sissinghurst will stay in my heart, Michele. It is a magical place that stirs the heart of those that visit. ♥

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  9. What a grand castle, Martha Ellen! This must have been quite an experience for you. The grounds are beautiful, so green and groomed. And some of the flowers are so pretty they look like paintings. This is an amazing piece of property and so full of history. What a cute picture of you standing next to the castle.

    Happy Halloween week, Martha Ellen.

    ~Sheri

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    1. Sheri, I'm sure Sissinghurst has many different faces with each season. It was so lovely in Spring. The property is quite large and filled with joy around every corner.
      Here's to a great Halloween week to you, Sheri. ♥

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  10. Breathtaking!!! We will be sure to stay at the Priest's house next time we're in England. Ha! I'm sure it costs quite a bit more than an arm and a leg. But wouldn't that be fun! And the tower...and the gardens...all too beautiful. I had never heard of Sissinghurst until one day I was looking up Oast Houses. That part of England (as in just about every part!) is just fascinating and beautiful. I so enjoyed this post.

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    1. The Priest's house was lovely on the outside, Judy. I'm sure it goes for a pretty pound or two. Well, we can dream. How many visits will it take to see it all? There is beauty everywhere, but England certainly has the lion's share in its pocket! ♥

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  11. Hi Martha! You really got some beautiful snaps from your trip. I hope you'll print some of these out and frame them. Thanks for popping in to see me.
    Be a sweetie,
    Shelia ;)

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    1. I do need to print a few of these photos, Shelia. How do I choose? ♥

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  12. Hi Martha and thank you for popping in to see me. Happy Halloween!
    Be a sweetie,
    Shelia ;)

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  13. What an interesting place and so well kept. You got some gorgeous photos! How I would love to travel there! Hugs, diane

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  14. Martha, I'm about to get whiplash...reading your post and watching Samantha Brown's DVD on London, Ireland and Scotland. It's a good thing though...loving both...

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    1. Glad to hear you are enjoying an afternoon of Great Britain, Sandra! ♥

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