Hever Castle and Gardens: Part One

Whilst in Surrey over the early Spring Bank Holiday, I suggested that my daughter and I had a day out visiting Hever Castle and Gardens in Kent. It was a hot day so we didn’t have enough energy to stroll around the lake, nor did we visit the Tudor Garden with the topiary chess set! Two good reasons to return.

Dating back to the 14th century, Hever Castle was once the childhood home of Anne Boleyn, second wife of Henry VIII and Mother of Elizabeth I. It is well worth a visit especially of you are interested in Tudor history.

But for this post I am only exploring the beautiful gardens which were laid out between 1904 and 1908 by Joseph Cheal and Son. Until William Waldorf Astor bought Hever Castle in 1903, only a modest garden existed around the castle walls. One of the most magnificent areas of the gardens is the Italian Garden, which was designed to display William Waldorf Astor’s collection of Italian sculptures.

The impressive Loggia at the lake end of the garden is flanked by pillared colonnades and descends by balustrade steps to the piazza below with its classical sculpture inspired by the Trevi Fountain in Rome.
The Italian Garden. Covering four acres, the long sweeping lawns and tall clipped yew hedges form the central area of this magnificent garden, bordered by two twelve foot high walls made from local stone.
Along the south side runs the Pergola Walk with its shaded grottoes planted with ferns and moisture loving plants.
Pergola Walk
Italianate sculpture
Entrance to the Pergola Walk and the Italian Garden with the stunning golden gates
On the north side is the Pompeiian Wall which contains small bays showcasing antiquities in stone and marble enveloped with shrubs and climbing plants.
Italianate sculptures and antiquities
In one of the recessed bays
Pompeiian Wall
Hidden in the centre of the Italian Garden behind a tall hedge lies the Sunken Garden, an oasis of peace and quiet.
Sunken Garden
At the beginning of May the gardens were full of tulips, irises and wisteria. The planting is stunning and there is so much to see. Far more than I can possibly put in one post.
And to end, a glimpse of the lake from the Pavilion courtyard.

Then there is the Rose Garden,  the setting for over 5,000 roses which flourish from June until the end of September. Yet one more reason to return.

Hever Castle & Gardens
Hever
Edenbridge
Kent TN8 7NG

Jo’s Monday Walks

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Heyjude

I have lived in the UK for most of my life, but when young I definitely had wanderlust and even ended up living in South Africa for several years which was a wonderful experience. I now look forward to a long and leisurely retirement doing what I like most - gardening, photography, walking and travelling.

41 thoughts on “Hever Castle and Gardens: Part One”

  1. Absolutely gorgeous. Aren’t you happy you don’t have to prune all those roses.
    So, many positives about visiting Hever Castle and Gardens. I can imagine you were smiling for a while after leaving.

    1. When I see the amount of work that has to be done in these type of gardens I am glad that I only have a small patch! And yes, it was a Grand Day Out.

  2. So elegant and peaceful. I hope the place was as un-busy as your photos seem to suggest. A pretty perfect day, by the looks of things.

    1. The grounds were fairly quiet – they are large so the number of people quickly disperse, the only issue was the school visits inside the castle itself. Really we should have waited to go in until after 3 pm as they would have left by then, but we didn’t want to leave too late and catch the horrible M25 Friday traffic.

    1. I don’t think I had realised how wonderful the grounds are before we went. I just had a two for one ticket so it seemed like a good idea. I am very glad we visited as the grounds are lovely and so is the castle.

  4. What a place! Do they do rooms? I know… if they did I couldn’t afford one. Absolutely magnificent photos, Jude. Thanks so much for taking me there xx

    1. 270 for bed and breakfast for one night for two people or 370 in the most luxurious room. When are you booking? (My 3 and pound sign key has stopped working). The grounds are a delight as is the castle itself. Very small and homely for a castle.

  5. what a magnificent place Jude, so much to see and the weather looked perfect. Definitely need more than one day to see it all.

    1. Tbh the weather was a little too hot for my liking – around 28C – but my daughter loves the heat. Definitely needs a couple of days to see it properly, but we did our best.

    1. A beautiful day for a visit like this. Last year we went to Sissinghurst and Kew. We quite often visit RHS Wisley as that’s only 10 mins away from my daughter, but the roadworks around there are horrendous so best avoided.

  8. Hever is one of the castles I have visited the most, (along with Bodiam) due to its proximity to London when I lived in the capital. No matter how many times I went there, I always found it delightful.

    Best wishes, Pete x

    1. If I lived down that way I would definitely buy an annual membership, it is a place you can easily visit several times a year.

    1. I reckon we could have done the lake walk if we’d got there earlier, but my daughter had an appointment in the morning which overran. But it is definitely somewhere you would want to visit more than once. Maybe in May when the tulips and wisteria are in flower and then in June for the roses.

    1. Definitely worth a visit Sarah. And the castle is interesting too. There is an audio guide which is excellent. Not too far from you.

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