Titsey Place, Surrey - wondrous walled gardens nestled in heart of North Downs

The walled garden at Titsey Place is filled with flowers throughout the open season
Titsey Place nestles in a corner of Surrey, close to some of the most visited gardens in Southern England including Hever Castle and Sissinghurst. It has one of the finest walled gardens in the South-East, a manor house steeped in history and, despite its proximity to the M25 a bucolic setting that is conducive to spending several hours lazing on the grass admiring the views across the Darent valley, or walking in the extensive grounds. 
The impressive allium displays (May and early June) are soon replaced by later-flowering annuals and perennials
The jewel in the crown here is the walled garden, dating back to Victorian times and open just three afternoons a week from May to September. May sees impressive displays of alliums, followed later by a succession of annuals and perennials which guarantee colour throughout the season, together with fruit and vegetables that will make your mouth water. It was fully restored in 1996 and is now operated using original Victorian methods.
In the greenhouses there are heavily laden tomato plants and a variety of tender fruit, including peaches and nectarines, while the external walls provide support for espaliered fruit trees underplanted with colourful borders. Within the walls, the space is divided into rectangular box-edged beds, with pathways and rose or vine-covered gazebos providing crossing points between the different flower, fruit and vegetable sections. 
Rose and vine-covered gazebos intersect the pathways that divide the different growing areas
Titsey Place occupies an impressive hillside position at the heart of the North Downs, with uninterrupted views over the surrounding countryside. The house dates from 1775 and has been lived in by successive generations of the same family for the last 400 years. It is open to the public and is well known for its collection of family portraits and paintings by artists including Sir Joshua Reynolds and Canaletto.
The manor house at Titsey presides over 500 acres of parkland and woods
The manor house (above) is surrounded by some 500 acres of woodland which is open to the public for much of the year. From the house, lawns sweep down to two lakes at the bottom of the valley. The first is filled with water lilies and huge golden carp and the second has a Greek-style temple on the far shore. Closer to the house there is an immaculately-kept knot border and two formal rose gardens.
Titsey Place is only open on Wednesdays during the week and on both Saturday and Sunday, plus Bank Holiday Mondays 13.00-17.00 from mid-May to the end of September. Admission is £7.00 for house and gardens and £4.50 for the gardens. Historic Houses Association (HHA) members free. 


                                            For more summer gardens to visit, click here.

Comments

  1. Another beautiful, peaceful garden to enjoy. Thank you.

    FlowerLady

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  2. Thanks for this as it is one I have not come across. Recommendation for you. West Sussex Prairie Gardens. So different, so friendly.

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  3. Thanks Barbara. Well worth visiting. Love Sussex Prairies too and am a regular visitor there. If you check under Garden Visits UK and Europe on the RHS of this blog, you will see all the gardens I've been lucky enough to visit over the years, including Sussex P.

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  4. Great views and focal points. Not to mention mown and unmown areas and how they can work together...looks much better where it belongs!

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