Sissinghurst Gardens 2013

25 Saturday Jan 2014

Posted by pat in England, Gardens, Travel

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My inaugural post on this blog was about Sissinghurst Castle Gardens. I visited there a few years ago, and after a visit this past summer, it remains one of my favorite gardens in England. I thought with the east coast blanketed by snow and frigid temperatures this week, it was the perfect time to visit an English garden, and Sissinghurst deserved a second post.

The library at Sissinghurst with Vita’s portrait over the fireplace. Photo by me.

Vita Sackville-West, the renowned poet and writer, and her husband Harold Nicolson, diplomat and author, began the transformation of the house and gardens in the 1930s.

photo by me

It was a labour of love.

Sissinghurst Castle Garden

Harold was the architect, and Vita orchestrated the romance of the garden.

Both partners input shows very well in the well-organized garden rooms overwhelmed by color and shape and magnificent blooms. It takes an army of gardeners to manage it all.

The gardens are famous for Vita’s White Garden, which she wrote about in her diaries.

It is thought to be the first truly planned out white garden, and it is one my favorite “rooms”. I would love to see it in the moonlight at its most dramatic.

An entry into the white garden. Photo by me.

You are able to go up in the tower on winding stone steps, past Vita’s study, to the very top for magnificent views.

The tower from the White Garden. Photo by me

And along the way, are clips of poems and writings of both Harold and Vita about the planning and transformation of the garden. It was very inspirational and creative.

At the top of the tower. Photo of me by a friend.

At the top of the tower. Photo of me by my dear friend.

And the views from the rooftop were incredible.

The orchard, from above and a more intimate view…

Because the walls hold the warmth in, there is a great variety of plants familiar to those who garden in the southern locations of the U.S.

We walked for hours, and although much seemed familiar, there were always new surprises.

Even with a stop for lunch in the garden at the coffee shop, and a gift shop/ice cream break, it was hours spent in the actual garden rooms.

This is one of the first years I remember seeing sprinklers moved around many of the gardens. It was a dry, warm summer in England by their standards.

The herb room was one of my favorites, with well-marked plants revealing the actual appearance of these famous herbs that we often only see dried in spice jars.

The center of the herb garden. Photo by me

I love Sissinghurst. Would love to visit it in every season.

Broadstairs, Kent

09 Saturday Nov 2013

Posted by pat in Food, Travel, Uncategorized

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Broadstairs, Kent, Morelli's

A bit up the road, north of Ramsgate, is the seaside resort of Broadstairs.

Broadstairs. Photo by me

It was “Folk Week” when I visited this past summer, and the resort area was absolutely chock-a-block, as the Brits say. After driving in circles and finally finding a convenient parking spot, a friend of mine, who had spent summers there in her youth, and I walked in to the resort along the chalk cliffs.

The town of Broadstairs overlooking the sea. Photo by me.

We walked along the cliff top and noticed that Charles Dickens had lived and written here in centuries past, from 1837 until 1859. He described the town as “Our English Watering Place. He wrote David Copperfield while staying at Bleak house, located along the cliff-top.

But of course, the main attraction was and is the beach…

Broadstairs Beach. Photo by me.

…and the popular ice cream parlor in town, Morelli’s. The line wound down the street outside the shop. Beach towns are all the same, aren’t they? Sand and sweets.

Ice cream. Photo by me.

A Medieval Visit, Penshurst Place and Gardens

09 Saturday Jun 2012

Posted by pat in Art Museums & Exhibitions, Gardens, History, movies, Travel, United Kingdom

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Kent, Penshurst Place and Gardens

We continued through the countryside in Kent, and came across another great estate, Penshurst Place, surrounded by ancient parkland. I had read about this grand building, parts of which dated back to the 14th century. The halls and rooms were incredible and even more so when you realized that the heart of the house was medieval from the Tudor period. Henry VIII was said to have used it as a hunting lodge.

The entryway to the grand hall. Photo by me

It has been described as “the grandest and most perfectly preserved example of a fortified manor house in all England”.

The magnificent stone work was matched by the woodworking inside. Photo by me

I loved the sense of history here. It really was just a family historic home, but every time you turned a corner, you expected to run into a medieval nobleman or lady. We just have nothing that can compare to this in the United States, and it humbles you to realize the long, vast history of English-speaking people.

A gardener works on through the rain showers just outside the hall. Photo by me

Many films have been made here, including The Other Boleyn Girl. Sound recordists from the Harry Potter film series came and recorded floor creaks in the Long Gallery to get authentic sound effects.

You can imagine Henry VIII sweeping through the courtyards. Photo by me

After a quick tour of the building, My Beloved Brit and I went out in to the gardens. We started by crossing the sunken garden outside the main structure.

The sunken garden. Photo by me.

We passed down a few long passages of gardens in rainbow hues, some quite whimsical in their design…

The dramatic skies just made it more wonderful. Photo by me

The showers made everything so lush. Photo by me

Each garden held a bit of a surprise.All photos by me.

…and then we entered a maze of exquisite garden “rooms”. Each had their own personality.

A "secret room", buried in the garden maze. Photo by me

They were varied and lovely, even in the rain which kept starting and stopping. It didn’t matter at all. Sun or grey, they were lovely.

The wind blows the fountain on a grey day in the gardens. Photo by me

You could get lost in the many passages as you cut through the “doorways” in the hedge walls that separated them.

It was unique and lovely and made for a truly wonderful afternoon.

I love Kent, fondly known as “England’s Garden”. Aptly named.

Every time you are tempted to curse the rain, you realize that it is responsible for these extraordinary explosions of nature. I love every drop.

Chartwell, A House Full of History

07 Thursday Jun 2012

Posted by pat in Art Museums & Exhibitions, England, Gardens, History, National Trust, Uncategorized, United Kingdom

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Chartwell, Kent, Sir Winston Churchill

We woke to another rainy day in Kent. What better way to spend a wet, grey morning in England than to tour a house and garden. There are so many really monumental estates in this area to choose from. We picked one that appealed to both My Beloved Brit and myself…Chartwell, Sir Winston Churchill’s estate that he purchased in 1922.

Chartwell, the adult home of Sir Winston Churchill. Photo by me

It was an interesting drive to get to the estate…under an hour through winding, narrow lanes with barely enough room for two cars to pass let alone a lorrie. Good thing MBB offered to drive.

Churchill spent as much time as he could at Chartwell, except during the Second World War, until his death in 1965. And why not? It is a spectacular setting.

The view of the Kent countryside from the front patio is breathtaking. Photo by me.

The house reflects the family’s life at Chartwell in the 1920s and 30s. I loved that The National Trust chose this particular period, and made it seem like we had just dropped by the home for a friendly visit. I am sorry no photos were allowed of the interior, because it was warm and friendly and inviting. I was ready to move in tomorrow.

The drawing-room windows look out over the immense view. Photo by me.

There was even a pool on the back lawn which rolls down to a lake and cow pasture.

The swimming pool from the gardens. Is it ever warm enough to swim? We didn't feel the desire for a cool pool. Photo by me

The pool in the foreground, and the lake beyond. Photo by me.

Touring the house, you had the feeling that the Churchills had just stepped out for a newspaper, or perhaps Winston was down in his art studio putting the finishing touches on a landscape from the magnificent views over The Weald of Kent.

The view from the house to Churchill's art studio where over 100 paintings by the amateur artist are on display. Photo by me.

The gardens have a natural quality and are quintessentially English, rolling hills with casual looking gardens that you know must have been perfectly planned to take full advantage of the English weather.

The kitchen garden in the rain. Photo by me

The rain came and went throughout the morning, but no one seemed to mind. You just opened your brollie and carried on, and when you went in to the house they had little plastic sheaths ready for wet umbrellas and rugs to wipe the rain off wellies. These Brits are used to rain. As MBB said, if you waited for the sun to come out, you’d never do anything in this country, so you just carry on.

We took refuge under a large tree with several other families until the rain took a break. Photo by me.

We both were mesmerized by the gardens and the views, as well as the sense of history that filled the house. Many of Sir Winston’s uniforms and medals were displayed in one room, giving a hint of the true greatness of his career. There were photos with recognizable faces everywhere, but the house still had an informal charm.

The Water Garden, one of Winston's final painting locations. A beautiful, tranquil spot.. Photo by me

Another view near The Water Garden. Photo by me

It seems the gardener's work was interrupted on Lady Churchill's Rose Garden. Photo by me.

It was a truly lovely day, rain and all. We shook off our umbrellas, got in to the car and drove down the country lane looking for more gardens.

Sissinghurst Castle Garden

26 Monday Sep 2011

Posted by pat in Art, Gardens, National Trust, paintings, Travel

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apples, art, castle, England, flowers, garden, Kent, oil painting, orchards, paintings, Sissinghurst

Of all the gardens I have visited in England, one of the most beautiful and original has got to be Sissinghurst Castle Garden. Located in a rural area of Kent, I found it quite by accident after coming across a small documentary about it on television years ago. I put it on my list as a “must visit next time we are in England”, and the next time we were in England, we rambled through the countryside east of Tunbridge Wells and found it near the village of Cranbrook on the A262. There, near the ruin of a great Elizabethan house is the spectacular National Trust garden, gently tucked in among the farmland and surrounding woods.

It was a gray and rainy day (how unusual for England), which was a gift really. The garden was green and fresh, and there were hardly any visitors on that particular day. The history of the garden is fascinating, and many words have been written on the garden’s designers Harold Nicolson, the writer and diplomat, and Vita Sackville-West, poet and novelist. But I was most engaged with the visual richness and complexity of the many garden rooms.

Each time I turned a corner, a new intimate garden would be revealed. And on this particular day I seemed to have it all to myself. My husband was game for awhile, but finally retreated to the warm, dry restaurant located on the grounds, and left me to explore at my leisure. He was happy, I was happy. Win, win.

From Vita’s solitary tower in the center of the gardens I looked down on her secluded world and got a new perspective. I could see the few visitors weave through the paths under their bright umbrellas. Occasionally they would meet. This was the inspiration for “The Encounter”, an oil painting I did in the year following my visit.

The Encounter, oil, 36 x 48", private collection

"The Encounters" inspiration

Another tower view

Perhaps one of the most interesting “rooms” to me was the white garden. It is magical and serene, especially in the mist.

In the painting that I did from this enclosure, I inserted a mysterious figure moving through the garden. I also increased the moodiness of the scene. I could only imagine past visitors finding their way through the mist to the rose arbor. And I wanted it to look like dusk, when white gardens look their best.

"White Garden", oil painting, 30 x 24", artist's

"White Garden" inspiration

After leaving the white garden, I moved outside the “rooms” in to the fields beyond and found the most glorious apple orchard. The red fruit was bright from the rain, and weighing the branches down. It smelled delicious.

It was all there. Another painting…or two.

"Apples I". oil painting, 7 x 5", artist's

"Apples II", oil painting, 7 x 5", artist's

It is so fascinating to me where new inspiration for art comes from. I can travel and wander for days, and may not find anything that truly inspires me. And then all of a sudden, I find a Sissinghurst. It just strikes me immediately and ideas for paintings roll through me.

I still like to return to my quiet studio and let the idea “cook”. But I immediately know when I see it that there is a real visual to draw on, and I always make notes, whether with my camera, or in a sketch book, or on a scrap of paper. When I begin the work, it all comes back in a rush…the sight, the smell, even the sounds of the moment when I was actually there.

accentBritain

~ a romance with art and all things British

Tag Archives: Kent

Sissinghurst Gardens 2013

Broadstairs, Kent

A Medieval Visit, Penshurst Place and Gardens

Chartwell, A House Full of History

Sissinghurst Castle Garden