Sissinghurst Travel Guide

 balhannah Says:  So, we have just been into the "new" Scotney Castle and enjoyed that, so now we will take a walk through the garden and have a look at the "old" Scotney Castle.Wow! This is nice!I have come across the moated Castle that was built between 1378 - 1380. The water was so calm,... 

 balhannah Says:  I thought it was really worthwhile having a look inside the Manor. Plenty of antique furniture, old photo's, paintings, china-ware and the various rooms to see. Some of the rooms were done in wood panelling, and another had lots of beautiful carvings. The Library fireplace... 

 balhannah Says:  About 8-10 kms away from Sissinghurst, depending on what road you travel on, is the lovely, old Scotney Castle.We arrived by car and had no trouble finding a Car-Park. As we were getting near closing time for the Manor Home, we decided to make our 1st stop there.This is the... 

 balhannah Says:  As we entered the little village of Sissinghurst, we couldn't help but notice the Village sign and the Penny Farthing Bike beside it.Evidently, this Penny Farthing was originally erected on the nearby Wilsey Pound roundabout for the Tour de France, which travelled through... 

 balhannah Says:  So what else was there to see......Plenty!There were gardens full of Blues, Purples and Lavender's, and any colour that blended nicely with these colours.A Rose, Azalea and White garden, and lets not forget the Orchard and the Lime Trees.By the Tower, the lawn had been cut... 

 balhannah Says:  We arrived, parked the car, then went to show our passes at the Admission centre.Before entering the garden, we decided to visit the Museum which was included in the price and located inpart of the Oast House's. There wasn't much to see, but I did like seeing the miniature... 

 balhannah Says:  Many times I had seen and heard about this Castle & Garden on Television. It was hard to believe, that I was actually here at this famous Castle!The Castle has had its share of important visitor's, including King Edward I to stay during the 14th century, Queen Mary in 1557... 

 balhannah Says:  The Cottage garden is where we headed to next. I love Cottage gardens, especially in places like Sissinghurst, as they often have rarer plants, and ones I don't see at home.Sissinghurt's Cottage garden, laid out in 1931, is made up of a lot of the "hot" colours, like... 

 Mariajoy Says:  The restaurant is open from 10am but hot food is served from 12pm onwards and closes at 5pm between 17th March and 28th October. Opening hours at other times of the year are 11-3pm.The food is all home made and there is a wide variety available. I had the granary bread with... 

 Mariajoy Says:  Over many decades Vita Sackville-West designed and nurtured her beloved garden with care and the help of several devoted gardeners. Each garden was designed and planned with imagination and consideration, some parts are more formal than others but it is the variety that... 

 Mariajoy Says:  I'm no expert but the Manor House must be one of the finest examples of Elizabethan architecture in SE England. Check out the archways, windows, doors, chimneys and other aspects, there are a lot of features that aren't immediately apparent but contain exquisite details! 

 Mariajoy Says:  The 8 oast houses adjacent to the ticket/info office, are now a small exhibition centre with photos and information about the history of the Sackville-Wests. As well as that there are also historical documents pertaining to the hop industry for which this area of the Kentish... 

 Mariajoy Says:  Inside the Tower the visitor can see Vita's library and other rooms with various paintings, maps and etchings. and a collection of blue and orange glassware. This is the only part of the castle open to the public apart from the exhibition in the Oast Houses. ( See next tip). 

 Mariajoy Says:  During the years that Vita and Harold lived here they made many changes to the Elizabethan Manor House. Probably one of her most life-changing , was converting a small room at the bottom of the tower into an indoor loo, which she referred to ever-after as "The Great... 

 Mariajoy Says:  After viewing the gardens, the visitor can take the 3 mile woodland walk around the perimeter of the castle estate. It can be a little muddy in places but was really not too bad when we visited in late April after a long warm and dry spell of weather. We were surprised and... 

 Mariajoy Says:  The gardens here were designed by Vita Sackville-West herself and with the help of a number of gardeners, proceeded to create the most beautiful, intimate and romantic gardens within a garden. Since her's and Harold's death and the subsequent ownership by the National Trust,...