Sissinghurst Castle & Garden
At the heart of the county often described as the ‘Garden of England’ lies the six-acre site described as the ‘epitome of the English country garden’. Not surprisingly, Sissinghurst is the most popular garden in UK, designed and planted by a controversial husband and wife team between 1930-1960.
Sissinghurst was originally a medieval manor house replaced by Elizabethan mansion. It fell into disrepair after the English Civil War and was later used as prison camp during the Napoleonic wars. Most of it was demolished in the 19th century and it became a dilapidated muddy rubbish tip.
It was bought in 1930 by controversial writer Vita Sackville West and her diplomat husband Harold Nicholson who saw potential to turn it into a paradise. Harold planned the architectural layout. Meanwhile, Vita let her creative imagination flower. Her ‘one colour’ rooms were a revolutionary idea in gardening. She also liked to send climbing flowers up trees and walls, very much influenced by the great Gertrude Jekyll. In some ways Sissinghurst is a poignant place. The couple’s scandalous affairs strained their relationship but the garden somehow saved their marriage. For many years after Vita died here in 1962, Harold would walk around garden and howl with grief.