BRITAIN’s Photos of the Week

By
Ben Grafton

With its stunning grounds and gardens, Sissinghurst Castle in Kent is one of Britain’s prettiest attractions

Sissinghurst Castle in Kent is at the heart of ‘the Garden of England’, and 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 history of the castle is rich and varied. Astonishingly, Sissinghurst Castle served as as prison in the 1700s, and was once home to the women’s land army. Today the ruined architecture of the original buildings and its vast panoramic views from the top of the tower are a major draw for visitors, while the current working farm and the 450-acre estate encompassing Vita and Harold’s gardens are a must for historians and horticulturists alike.

Scroll through our gallery below to see some of the best images of Sissinghurst Castle and its grounds.

Sissinghurst Castle Garden ©National Trust Images Jonathan Buckley
© All images National Trust

 

The Lime Walk in spring at Sissinghurst ©National Trust Images

 

The White Garden at Sissinghurst, credit National Trust Images Jonathan Buckley

 

The White Garden in late June at Sissinghurst Castle ©National Trust Images Penny Tweedie

 

Beehives and trees in blossom in the Orchard at Sissinghurst Castle Garden, Kent

View over the Priest's House, at dawn, from the Tower at Sissinghurst Castle Garden, near Cranbrook, KentThe White Garden in summer with Rosa mulliganii covering the pergola, and the Elizabethan Tower in the distance at Sissinghurst Castle Garden, near Cranbrook, Kent

 

The Rose Garden in summer with a view back to the main house at Sissinghurst Castle Garden, near Cranbrook, KentView through an arched brick and stone doorway across the lawn rondel towards a statue at one end of the Lime Walk at Sissinghurst Castle Garden, near Cranbrook, Kent

View from the Elizabethan Tower over the South Cottage in October, at Sissinghurst Castle Garden, Kent.

A view in December over the surrounding fields towards the Elizabethan Tower at Sissinghurst Castle Garden, Kent.

The gazebo in April at Sissinghurst Castle Garden, Kent.

 

Looking over sheep grazing in fields surrounding Sissinghurst Castle, near Cranbrook, Kent, in late April.

The Elizabethan Tower and Courtyard at Sissinghurst Castle, Kent.

A view of the Orchard looking through the branches of a blossoming tree towards the Elizabethan Tower at Sissinghurst Castle Garden, Cranbrook, Kent

 

The Writing Room, looking towards the fireplace and hexagonal table, in the Tower at Sissinghurst Castle, Kent

 

Daffodils in the early morning light in the Orchard at Sissinghurst Castle Garden, near Cranbrook, Kent

 

Vita's desk in the Writing Room in the Tower at Sissinghurst Castle Garden, near Cranbrook, Kent

 

Narrow paved path bordered by neat hedging in the Rose Garden in June at Sissinghurst Castle Garden, near Cranbrook, Kent

 

 

Crocosmia 'Lucifer' at Sissinghurst Castle Garden, near Cranbrook, Kent

 

Part of the orchard at Sissinghurst Castle Garden, Kent, created by Vita Sackville-West and her husband, which was developed around surviving parts of an Elizabethan mansion seen in the background

 

Evening light on the Elizabethan Tower at Sissinghurst Castle Garden, near Cranbrook, Kent

 

Agapanthus 'Loch Hope' and Anemone hybrida 'Honorine Jobert' in the Rose Garden with the Tower in the distance at Sissinghurst Castle Garden, near Cranbrook, Kent

Sissinghurst Castle features in our BRITAIN 2014 guide. Click here for an exclusive look inside the BRITAIN 2014 Guide and to see how you can get hold of a copy.

 

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