Route: Penshurst Place
Area: Kent
Date of walk: 14th June 2025
Walkers: Andrew and Gilly
Distance: 2.0 miles
Ascent: nil
Weather: Sunny with lovely light
During the course of our short visit to Kent and East Sussex we’d visited some wonderful gardens and historic places, including Sissinghurst Castle and Great Dixter. On the way back up north there remained time for another visit and by good fortune Penshurst Place lay along our route
Penshurst is one of England’s oldest family homes and was built in 1341. It has been owned by members of the nobility and royal family including the Duke of Buckingham, Anne of Cleves and King Henry VIII. It is now the home of Philip Sidney, Viscount De L’Isle. In view of the long journey ahead of us we didn’t have time to visit the manor house and contented ourselves with a walk around the renowned gardens
The historic formal gardens, covering 11 acres, are laid out in the Elizabethan tradition, and records of the garden date back to 1346. The garden is divided into compartments separated by yew hedges and incorporating (to name but a few) an orchard, a magnolia garden, a rose garden and the wonderful Jubilee Walk lined with herbaceous perennials. As with the other great gardens we’d visited recently, the planting is enhanced by the background of ancient buildings, in this case Penshurst Place itself and the neighbouring church of St John the Baptist
We wre lucky today that the light was special. Overnight rain had caused the harsh light of the last few days to disperse, replacing it with lovely soft light which displayed the honey coloured stone of Penshurst Place and its surroundings at their best. It had been a wonderful end to our visit to this part of the country
Click on the icon below icon for a map showing the location of Hole Park Garden, and click here for an interactive garden map
Scroll down – or click on any photo to enlarge it and you can then view as a slideshow
Entrance to Penshurst Place
Penshurst Place, built in the style of a defended manor house
The Union Flag Garden, designed to resemble the Union Jack flag. It features red roses, white roses, and blue lavender
The Grey and White Garden, designed in the 1970's...
The Church of St John the Baptist from the orchard...
The Peony Border
The Jubilee Walk
The Rose Garden
Penshurst Place from The Rose Garden...
...and the church again
The Lanning Roper Border, developed in 1970, and named after its American-born designer
Steps into the Italian Garden with Church Terrace beyond
The 16th-century Italian Garden is designed to be enjoyed from the State Rooms and was a project of Sir Henry Sidney in the 1560s
Penshurst Place from the Italian Garden
Penshurst Place, shown at its best today in wonderful light...
The Italian Garden as we walk along Church Terrace...
Back in the Peony Garden
The Stage Garden, used for occasional productions and by generations of small children to sing and perform to their parents
The Magnolia Garden and the bronze statue in memory of Jacqueline, Viscountess De L'Isle
We walk back past the front of the house via the Paved Garden
The Orchard again...
Diana's Bath, formed from an old stock pond
Final views back to Penshurst Place as we return to the start...
The end of the visit as we pass by The Horse Pond, which lies outside the formal garden. We've been privileged to see some magnificent gardens during our short visit to Kent and East Sussex. Penshurst Place ranks among the very best and we were lucky to have seen it in such ethereal light
