Private Tours to Sissinghurst Castle Gardens
“…the place, when I first saw it on a spring day in 1930, caught instantly at my heart and my imagination. I fell in love; love at first sight. I saw what might be made of it. It was Sleeping Beauty’s garden: but a castle running away into sordidness and squalor: a garden crying out for rescue.” Vita Sackville-West, 1953
Sissinghurst is one of the most famous gardens in the world. Its creators Vita Sackville-West and Harold Nicolson led lives that continue to fascinate. They wrote books and articles that continue to be read and of interest. But it is their garden that most people remember them for. They took a ruinous jumble of buildings at Sissinghurst and created a home within them. They filled in the gaps between those buildings with a garden, a garden that was laid out to give the impression of order. Within that formal framework they planted a colourful profusion of flowers and shrubs – white, purple, the colours of the sunset. This contrast between control and profusion is a very special characteristic of Sissinghurst.
PRICES
All tours are by car, for up to 6 people, with your own private driver-guide. Tour prices from £650.
Sissinghurst & Great Dixter gardens
For gardening enthusiasts, it is possible to treat yourself to these two great gardens in one day. Great Dixter is the garden of writer Christopher Lloyd, famous for titles such as “Colour for Adventurous Gardeners”.
Sissinghurst & Knole
This great old house was the birthplace of Vita Sackville-West, and the setting for her friend Virginia Woolf’s novel “Orlando”. In the grounds are some of the least timorous deer I have ever encountered.
Sissinghurst & another local garden
This corner of England is famous for its gardens. Hole Park, Great Comp and Pashley Manor are all privately-created gardens close to Sissinghurst. They provide contrasting visits, and are open on different days.
