Gardens to visit
Globe-trotting at Lullingstone’s World Garden
Lullingstone is one of England’s oldest family estates. Built in 1497, it’s been home to the same family for 20 generations. The current son and heir is modern-day plant hunter Tom Hart Dyke - cousin to TV comedienne Miranda Hart. Dawn Kingsford reports…
whose diary lists tales of exploration and kidnap and an affinity with those who brought us the plants we know and love today. It was the vision he had for a World Garden – sketched during the nine months he was held hostage by Columbian guerillas while hunting for orchids in the Panamanian jungle – that now stands as a tribute to these plant-hunters of the past in a palete of 8,000 species from the four corners of the globe.
A
Truly, a paradise for plant fans - the first of its kind in the UK – the collection combines plant heritage with cuting-edge horticulture in 120 acres of gardens at Eynsford near Sevenoaks.
Notoriety & invention
For Tom, with that traumatic experience behind him, his 43rd birthday (April 12) promises to be no less challenging, as he fights to keep the family home in the black and his collection intact, something that has been followed by programme- makers, including the BBC.
His World Garden, which sits in the grounds of the family home - commandeered from his grandmother – has allowed him to create his jungle dream. It has brought a welcome and steady stream of visitors to the house since opening in 2005, among them Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles. Te house, which has further royal connections, having been visited by Henry VIII and Queen Anne, is also open to the public on occasion, and is well worth a look.
Truly, a day in paradise for modern-day plant lovers and those with a love of history.
Hidden gems
• Lullingstone was home in the 1930s to the silk farm that produced the material for Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation robes and wedding dress.
• Te British Army took over Lullingstone during WWII and the fields behind the Gatehouse hosted a dummy airfield.
• Te grounds - alongside the River Darent - also contain Queen Anne’s Bathhouse, an 18th century Ice House and the church.
Admission Adults £9
Children £4.50 (5-15 yrs old) Senior citizen £7.50
Family £20 (2 adults & 2 children or 1 adult & 3 children)
28 Mid Kent Living Special events
Easter activities and events, including the new Food Fest (June 1, 2 & 3) and Plant Hunters’ Weekend in August.
Full details and pricing are at:
www.lullingstonecastle.co.uk
s introductions go, they don’t come more distinguished than Tom Hart Dyke,
Opening times
Lullingstone Castle and The World Garden is open every Friday (except Good Friday), on Saturday and Sunday, from April 5, until October 27. On these days, the house opens only at 2pm for a guided tour lasting 45 minutes, costing an additional £1.
On Bank Holiday weekends and event days, there is no guided tour, but visitors are able to view inside the house from 11am until last entry at 4:30pm.
Amenities and accessibility
• Café, • Gift shop • Plant nursery • The garden is accessible by wheelchair/mobility scooter (except polytunnels), as is the church and the ground floor of the house.
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