The Secret Gardens of Sandwich

Anyone else been here? The house, which is privately owned, was designed by Lutyens and the gardens, so they tell you, inspired by Gertrude Jekyll - who is probably spinning in her grave.

£5 entrance fee - practically snatched from your hand
Their website proudly offers the 'Audio Tour' but no-one seemed to know anything about it.
Not a plant labelled anywhere - without the audio tour any non-gardener wouldn't have known which were the weeds and which the plants. Oh actually they would - the weeds were the things growing in profusion.
The 'Long Border' - yards and yards of bare earth with a pile of wood chippings half-way along to relieve the monotony.
'The Lake' - ¾ empty, in need of a good clean and what water there was, was thick with blanketweed
'Main Perennial Borders' - dead is the word which springs to mind
'Bowling Green and Rose Garden' - well, there was grass, but bowling green it most certainly wasn't and the roses ... can half a dozen pathetic looking specimens really be called a 'rose garden'?
It took all of 30 minutes to walk round - not even meeting the Yellow Book standard.

All in all - a rip off. The trip there takes you through some pretty villages and Sandwich of course is a pleasant place but, if you do go there, save yourself the £5 by avoiding these gardens and enjoy Sandwich itself.

 

This is what these threads are about.
The good, the bad, and the ugly.
Well done you for posting.
Its been a few years since I have visited Sandwich, but I dont supose it has changed any.
robert

 

Hi Fidgetsmum,
I am not likely to visit but thanks for the warning there. What a disappointment for you.
I don't think I have felt let down at any of the many gardens we have visited. Some of them are very reasonably priced, just off to see if they have a website.

 

just looked on web for this place and it states it going through a transformation change due to been neglected for over 25 years, so with what you have said dont know what they have been doing in 4 years of improvements, sounds like very little, looks nice on the website see they have a lovely tea room.anyway sorry to hear you had such a dissapointing time there