Patariki Visits Sissinghurst

Tuesday August 3rd

Today was the last day in England for going visiting so it was off to Sissinghurst with a picnic lunch. Mary and Alan last visited here in 1993 and thought it would be worth a visit again. It is known as Sissinghurst Castle but it never was a castle. The French prisoners who were sent there in the 1700’s nicknamed it The Castle and the name stuck.

Sissinghurst Garden is in the Weald of Kent, near Cranbrook, Goudhurst and Tenterden. The property is owned and maintained by the National Trust. The garden was created by Vita Sackville-West & Harold Nicolson in the 1930's. At this time, the site was very run down and they restored enough of it to make a comfortable place to live and they set about creating the garden.

The site is ancient - its name is Saxon - meaning 'clearing in the woods'. A stone manor surrounded by a moat was built in the Middle Ages. Two legs of the moat survive - a third leg originally ran where the 'Moat Walk' lawn is now. The original building was replaced in the 15th century by a large manor built by the Baker family - related by marriage to the Sackvilles of Knowle. It was let to the Government between 1756 and 1763 as a prison camp for French prisoners-of-war. The prisoners were badly treated - as was the site generally, and much was demolished.
Vita and Harold found the place after searching for property knowing that Vita would not inherit the Knole property. . They purchased it in 1930 and began constructing the garden. It was first opened to the public in 1938 - the entrance fee was a shilling (£0.05). Visitors were nicknamed the 'shillingses' .

The garden is a series of ten separate garden rooms, all delightfully different. Walls and hedges separate the gardens, which have themes, like the white garden, the hot garden, the purple and mauve garden, and the herb garden... Being high summer, the garden was probably just past its best, although still a riot of colour and it was very fragrant. There has been hardly any rain in Kent since early June, so the ground is very dry.

A gardener was cutting one of the big beech hedges and had a spirit level and a plumb line to ensure it was all square. Most of the gardening is done between 7 and 11 in the morning before the public arrive. Last time they visited there was timed entry to the garden, but this year for the first time you may enter at any time and you can return as many times as you like during the day on the one ticket. There were a lot people there but it never seemed overcrowded as there are things to do outside the actual garden as well. There is a very good exhibition in one of the barns, and of course the shops and restaurants as well. Adam, the grandson of the Nicolson’s now lives onsite and he has started an organic farm in another part of the estate to provide food for the cafe and restaurant.

The view from the tower over the whole Kent Weald was stunning. The numbers climbing the tower at any one time were limited. Vita’s study where she did her writing was on the first floor and looked just as it had been when she lived there. The only other part of the house open was the long library, but it was crammed full of interesting things to look at.

It was an enjoyable day strolling through the gardens in brilliant sunshine.
Back home it was time to back all the things into Hemi they need to take on the continental holiday which starts tomorrow with a trip down to Dover to take the ferry to Dunkerque.