SISSINGHURST CASTLE GARDEN

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SISSINGHURST CASTLE GARDEN
Julie Borris
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History
Sissinghurst is located in the Weald of Kent and
was once a grand Elizabethan Manor House. Over
the years the Manor has changed drastically in
appearance due to the change in ownership.
Originally the land was owned by De Saxingerstes
and was a medieval manor-farm. In the middle of
the 13th century the family line had come to an
end. King Edward I lived in the manor with the
De Berham family during the 14th century. The De
Berham family owned Sissinghurst for more than
200 years. The manor was then sold to Thomas
Baker when Henry de Berham decided to move to
another manor.
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History
One of Thomas Bakers sons, Sir John Baker, was
responsible for the first major developments of
the manor. He demolished the medieval manor
house, and replaced it with a grand Tudor
Courtyard house. It has been suggested that Sir
John was responsible for building the magnificent
new Elizabethan mansion, but architectural
considerations, and the fact that he was nearing
the end of his life, make it much more likely to
have been his son, Sir Richard Baker. He kept the
western entrance range and added the tower, which
survives almost intact today.
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History
By 1661 Sissinghurst was neglected, and would
remain so for the next hundred years. During
1756, it was leased to the government for use as
a prison during the Seven Years War. Captured
French seamen were housed in the now dilapidated
buildings of Sissinghurst, where conditions were
absolutely terrible for both prisoners and guards
alike. In fact, the reputation of Sissinghurst
was so bad that discipline was maintained in
other prisons by threatening to move any unruly
inmates to this cruel, cold and overcrowded
place. Only 15 years later, with much of the
house and furniture destroyed by the Frenchmen
for firewood, Sissinghurst and its future looked
bleak. An earlier suggestion to turn it into a
spa, so attracting London visitors, had failed
and it was then used as a workhouse from 1794. A
few years later much of the building was
demolished, with the exception of the entrance
range, the tower and a few of the outbuildings.
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History
In 1855 the estate reverted to the Cornwallis
family who built the farmhouse as the old
buildings were scarcely habitable. The estate
was put up for sale in 1928 but for two years a
buyer could not be found. In April 1930 Vita
Sackville-West came with her son, Nigel, looking
for an old house where she could make a new
garden. Vita fell in love with Sissinghurst
Castle and bought it, along with 4000 acres of
farmland. Together, Vita and Harold made a
garden which reflects their different
personalities, Harold was a classicist while Vita
was a romantic who favored profusion and
surprise. It was Harold who designed the layout
of the garden using the walls buildings already
in place
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Front Courtyard
Front Courtyard
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Delos
The 'Delos' was laid out in 1935 - 36. Delos is a
Greek Island in the Aegean which gave its name to
this garden.
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The Rose Garden
the Rose Garden is now one of the most popular
parts of Sissinghurst. The centre circular lawn
and hedge was designed by Harold. Because of the
old-fashioned varieties of roses selected by
Vita, the garden is at its best for a relatively
short period from the end of May until early
July.
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The Orchard
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Oast houses were used for drying hops - this part
of Kent is still a strong hop growing area
although far less so than in the past. And the
technology for drying hops has made their use
redundant.
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The Cottage Garden
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Herb Garden
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http//www.theheritagetrail.co.uk/manor20houses/s
issinghurst20castle.htm http//www.nationaltrust.
org.uk/places/sissinghurst/history.html http//www
.invectis.co.uk/sissing/