Sissinghurst: in pictures

By
Martha Alexander
Through a low wooden door into the south-west corner of the garden is the walled Rose Garden

Sissinghurst Castle has been home to pigs and paupers, hosted royalty and nobility, and welcomed thousands of visitors – all of whom are charmed by the romantic legacy bound up in the legendary gardens.

Sissinghurst Castle in Kent, now run by the National Trust, is at the heart of ‘the Garden of England’, and indeed it boasts one of the very best gardens in the county, thanks to the horticultural vision and dedication of celebrated writer and poet Vita Sackville-West and her diplomat husband Harold Nicolson.

More than 188,000 visitors flock here each year to marvel at the rambling roses buzzing with bees, admire the scented thyme lawns, enjoy the dreamy white-flower garden, and explore the traditional English nuttery.

The magnificent red brick, dual-turreted tower that rises at the centre of the gardens remains as a reminder of this period of Tudor grandeur
The magnificent red brick, dual-turreted tower that rises at the centre of the gardens remains as a reminder of a period of Tudor grandeur
Through a low wooden door into the south-west corner of the garden is the walled Rose Garden
Through a low wooden door into the south-west corner of the garden is the walled Rose Garden
Harold and Vita (who had a gardening column in The Observer newspaper) were engrossed in the creation of the garden
Harold and Vita (who had a gardening column in The Observer) were engrossed in the creation of the garden
The majority of the garden is orchard: a meadow of wild grass, peppered with clover and buttercups
The Herb Garden is surprisingly far from the kitchen in the south-west of the garden
In-the-Orchard-at-dawn,-Sissinghurst-©National-Trust-Images
The majority of the garden is orchard: a meadow of wild grass, peppered with clover and buttercups
The White Garden is said to be the most popular garden and features flowers of exclusively white, silver or green hues
The White Garden is said to be the most popular area and features flowers of exclusively white, silver or green hues. All images © National Trust

For our full feature on Sissinghurst, please see the new issue of BRITAIN magazine, on sale next week.

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