Sissinghurst Castle Garden

About the museum

Sissinghurst has been a castle, a prison and a farm. In the 1700s it served as a prison for French prisoners of war, who gave it the nickname Sissinghurst Castle, and later it housed members of the Women's Land Army. The estate is best known as the home of the poet and writer Vita Sackville-West and her husband Harold Nicolson, a diplomat and author.

The couple bought the property in 1930 and began transforming it in the early 1930s. Harold planned the architecture of the garden as a series of linked outdoor rooms, while Vita filled them with colourful and abundant planting. Their approach reflected the romance and intimacy of her poems and writings, and the garden grew into one of the most famous in England.

The surviving buildings are part of the visit. Vita wrote in a room at the top of the Elizabethan tower, where almost 4,000 books and her desk have remained much as she left them. The former stables became the Big Room, a library and drawing room where the couple entertained guests, and a converted oast house now holds an exhibition space with the Hogarth Press printing press. The estate is cared for by the National Trust and includes a working farm and about 450 acres of surrounding countryside.

Highlights

• Garden of linked outdoor rooms, including the Rose Garden and the White Garden
• Elizabethan tower with Vita Sackville-West's writing room and views over the estate
• The Big Room (library) with portraits and about 4,000 books
• Oast exhibition space with the Hogarth Press printing press
• Organic vegetable garden and walks across the 450-acre estate

Permanent exhibition

• The garden and historic buildings – The garden rooms laid out by Harold Nicolson and planted by Vita Sackville-West, together with the Elizabethan tower, the Big Room library and the oast exhibition space.

Operated by

National Trust

Admission & discounts

Prices are for the whole property without Gift Aid; with Gift Aid the adult price is £22, child £11 and family £55. Tickets are bought on arrival at Visitor Reception and do not need to be booked in advance. National Trust members enter and park free. Car parking costs £4.50 for non-members and covers the whole day; it is free for Blue Badge holders. The garden belongs to the RHS Partner Garden scheme with free entry for RHS members from November to February, and the Gardeners' World 2-for-1 offer applies except in May, June and July (£10 in summer and £7 in winter for two adults).

Accessibility

• Partially wheelchair accessible
• Elevator: not available
• Accessible restroom
• Accessible parking
• Service dogs welcome
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

There is a step-free route around the garden, restaurant and shops, but the terrain is uneven and the garden paths are narrow. There is no step-free access to the upstairs oast exhibition space, the Big Room or the tower. Accessible toilets with baby changing are next to Visitor Reception and at the restaurant. Several accessible parking bays are in the car park and there is a drop-off point at Visitor Reception. Wheelchairs can be borrowed free of charge but must be booked in advance; a buggy service for the car park, reception, shops, restaurant and garden entrance runs from March to October. Only assistance dogs may enter the garden. Unfenced lakes, moat and ponds are found around the estate.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide
• Baby changing facilities

Child tickets cover ages 5 to 17 and under 5s are free. Seasonal activities and a seasonal spotter sheet are available from Visitor Reception, and the estate has woodland walks with fairy doors, a lake walk and a den-building area. Pushchairs can be used on the site and left in a marked area behind Visitor Reception, but they are not allowed in the garden or collection spaces; baby carriers are welcome. Baby changing is available in the toilets by Visitor Reception and in the restaurant toilets.

Getting there & parking

The house is 2 miles north-east of Cranbrook and 1 mile east of Sissinghurst village on Biddenden Road, off the A262. Follow the National Trust brown signs because a sat nav may lead to the wrong address. By bicycle, National Cycle Network route 18 passes about 8 miles away from Staplehurst station.

Amenities & dining

• Café
• Restaurant
• Museum shop

Granary restaurant, Old Dairy coffee shop, gift shop, plant shop and second-hand bookshop. Food and drink are not allowed inside the garden; picnic areas are next to the vegetable garden and at the top of the car park. Toilets are next to Visitor Reception and the restaurant.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit