Chelsea Flower Show
2004
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May 29th another wonderful day to explore on our own, I headed to
the Kensington area and Portobello road to see what the big market
was all about, then walked some more and ended up in the Kensington
Palace grounds. I had to be back at the hotel for 1:20 for a phone
interview with Art Drysdale. I then went back out to visit the
Leighton House Museum and after that I spent the rest of the day
relaxing and getting ready for the next day.
www.rbkc.gov.uk/leightonhousemuseum If you are coming to London
before September 12th, you might also like to take in the
celebration of 200 years of the RHS from The Fan Museum
http://www.fan-museum.org/exhibdetails.asp?exhibID=6
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May 30th This was a full day out of town again. First stop was
Scotney Castle. The ruined 14th Century castle aspect makes Scotney
one of the most romantic gardens in England. It is particularly
famous for its Rhododendrons, azaleas, water lilies and wisteria
flowers. This was a wonderfully romantic place to visit...so
tranquil and colourful. The old buildings are of considerable
architectural and historic interest. Edward Hussey in the 1830's had
the imagination to see how the medieval Scotney Castle could be
transformed from derelict dwelling into quaint ruin. The castle was
built between 1378-80 and for 350 years it was the home of the
Carell family. Around 1640 much of the castle was demolished and the
masonry used in a new three storey east range of which only the
walls are still standing...in the mid 18th century they were forced
to sell and in 1778 Edward Hussey bought the castle and began
piecing the rest of the estate back together.
In the afternoon, we proceeded to the 16th Century mansion house
Sissinghurst Castle, once home to the writers Harold Nicholson and
Vita Sackville-West, and its stunning gardens, perhaps the country's
most famous. 'Profusion, even extravagance and exuberance within the
confines of the utmost linear severity' was Vita Sackville-West's
philosophy in creating the gardens, and this is still gloriously
apparent.
Sissinghurst ... what can I say about this beautiful garden that
Harold and Vita Sackville-West discovered and rescued. It occupies a
very ancient site, somewhere around the Middle Ages. There used to
be a stone manor house surrounded by a moat - that was replaced by a
mansion by the Baker family. In 1756 it was a prison camp and there
was so much damage to the old building that at the end of the war
two-thirds of it was demolished. Harold and Vita came along in 1930,
fell in love with the place and it was five years before they even
had water or electricity. What remains now of the original house is
the Entrance, a long building dating from 1490. Originally a stable
it is now called the Long Library mostly used for storing furniture
from her family home and all the books she reviewed. The Tower is
what Vita wanted ... this is where she would write, isolated and
content and it remained her sanctum until she died at age 70.
What we see now is a love story ... a story of a couple who have
made this their home and turned their land into a series of gardens
that draw oohs and aahs with each separate garden they see while
here.
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We ended up taking some group photos at Sissinghurst. The only rain
we had was on the last day of the tour, at this garden, and it
lasted for about 20 minutes or so.
Later on that evening we had our final meal at a local restaurant
and said our good byes until next time!
Hope you enjoyed this - but it is so much better if you can come
along with us and experience it for yourself! The sounds, the sights
and of course the gardens ... are just a flight away!
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'Enjoyed
all the gardens especially Sissinghurst & Scotney Castle'
'Well organized, lots of pre tour information'
'Thanks for ordering the great weather for our tour - had a great
time'
'Week long tours are great...well done Donna!'
'We liked the self pace at the gardens, the size of the group was
good'
'Excellent tour, enjoyed it'
'Great bunch of people on this tour'
'We enjoyed our tour very much. The people on the tour were great to
be with and we made a lot of friends'
'Chelsea Flower Show exceeded expectations'
'Well organized and relaxed'
'Well organized and great guide'
'All inclusive idea was good, good mix, not too much each day'
'Hilda, our guide was great'
'Liked balance of free days and tour days'
'Hilda was very knowledgeable in English history, and very
entertaining'
'My first tour, good variety of gardens with some of them
breathtaking'
'I liked the opportunity of visiting the gardens on my own time and
in areas that interested me'
'It was wonderful, no problems or glitches'
'Hilda was a gem'
'The two free days were spaced out just right!'
'It was a great trip. My first to England and you made it great!'
'I found a lot was put into it and yet still had time to see places
for myself''We enjoyed
it very, very much and must say that it clearly exceeded our
expectations. We enjoyed the tour at your own pace at the gardens
and the days off during the tour. We were able to contrast country
visits with city visits and enjoyed some wonderful and entertaining
visits.' |
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