Sissinghurst Castle 15-7-20
Sissinghurst
Today we aim to do something a little different. We go to Sissinghurst to visit the Castle and gardens. The gardens were the creation of Vita Sackville-West working with her husband Harold Nicholson between 1930 and 1962 and her death at which point it was donated to the National Trust. The current building was never a “castle” in the technical term – the name was adopted when it was a camp for French prisoners during the Seven Years’ War. The tower was part of the Elizabethan manor but much of that was demolished so it is not the size it once was. However the Nicholson family occupied quite separate parts of the buildings which remain.
Sissiinghurst 15-7-20
The gardens are the main draw of course and we roam around in what turned into an increasingly grey, dull day.
Double Camomile 15-7-20
There are many gardens separated by hedges and trees to provide some different and contrasting areas and the colours will depend on the time of the visit and what is in flower at the time.
Colour Sissinghurst 15-7-20
Some of the photos do not do a lot of justice to the hard work that it took to convert a poorly maintained location into the current well kept spaces and on a brighter day it may look very different.
House and colour Sissinghurst 15–7-20
At sometimes the camera can get close enough to look at the fine details
Up Close Sissinghurst 15-7-20
There are many separate gardens split up by hedges and paths and we may have missed some of them as there seems to be so much. This will give an idea of how the gardens are laid out:
Many gardens Sissinghurst 15-7-20
Some are more formal, others less so. Visitors first came here at the end of the Thirties, paying a shilling for entrance. It is somewhat more these days
Final Assortment Sissinghurst 15-7-20
16 July 2020
On the day following our trip to Sissinghurst we made a much shorter journey to Hythe and the Imperial Hotel which is adjacent to the English Channel. On the land side of the hotel there is a large garden and there this summer they are serving afternoon tea with everyone well separated. it was a little slow initially as no-one actually seemed to know what they were doing but it soon clicked into place and we rather liked the experience. Several years later we returned to stay for a couple of nights and can report an excellent dinner and breakfasts in the hotel plus a visit to the Hide and Fox (by taxi) for an excellent meal. The latter now holds two Michelin stars and well worthy of it.
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