SOUTH EAST

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CASTLES and HISTORIC HOMES:Back to top

BATEMANS        Once home to the famous author Rudyard Kipling

BATTLE OF HASTINGS ABBEY AND BATTLEFIELDS  The site where in 1066  King Harold was defeated by William of Normandy  and England was to change forever

BODIAM CASTLE         A perfect example of a late medieval, moated castle  

CHARTWELL         Once the home of the great Prime Minister,  Winston Churchill

CHIDDINGSTONE CASTLE  A unique and unspoilt castle in Kent with various international collections

DEAL CASTLE    Built for Henry VII as a coastal fortress

DOVER CASTLE   Provides a fascinating history  from its use in medieval times by Henry II to that in World War II

HEVER CASTLE AND GARDENS  Once the childhood home of Anne Boleyn, Henry VIII’s second wife

LEEDS CASTLE   Discover this magical castle, surrounded by a moat and set in 500 acres of parkland

LEWES CASTLE  Another coastal fortress dating back to 1066

 

PENSHURST PLACE AND GARDENS  Home to the Sydney family since 1552

 

ROYAL PAVILION, BRIGHTON – Magnifient royal palace built for Prince Regent

 

TONBRIDGE CASTLE  900 years of history connected with this castle

 

WALMER CASTLE and GARDENS  Built during the reign of Henry VIII on the picturesque Kent coastline  

GARDENS:Back to top

BEECH COURT GARDENS Located on the North Downs in the Heart of Kent. A 10 acre ‘oasis’ of tranquility and beauty, this is truly one of the Gardens of England

DODDINGTON PLACE GARDENS  Situated in an area of outstanding natural beauty, the variety of the different gardens offers much interest to either a plantsman or just a casual gardener

GREAT COMP GARDEN  Set in the heart of the Garden of England and surrounding a 17th century house, the garden extends to 7 acres, with many beautiful and rare plants

GODINTON HOUSE GARDENS  A superb ancient estate in a magnificent park with thrilling formal gardens all splendidly restored and surrounded by the famous yew hedge

GOODNESTONE PARK AND GARDENS  One of only three gardens in Kent to be awarded the coveted two stars in the Good Garden Guide. A Palladian house with approximately 14 acres of garden features from various periods  

GREAT DIXTER HOUSE AND GARDENS  One of the most attractive and imaginative gardens in Britain. The Medieval manor house is surrounded by an experimental, exciting and ever changing garden

PASHLEY MANOR GARDENS   A quintessential English garden offering a sumptuous blend of romantic landscaping, imaginative plantings and fine old trees, fountains, springs and large ponds

RIVERHILL GARDENS   Not just for keen gardeners, these imaginative Himalayan gardens also make a great family day out for young explorers. Enjoy the colour, scent and tranquillity of this historic hillside garden.

SISSINGHURST GARDENS   A garden in the ruin of an Elizabethan house, set in the middle of its own woods, streams and farmland, with long views across the Kentish landscape

FAMILY ATTRACTIONSBack to top

BRIGHTON SEALIFE CENTRE - Watch in amazement as giant turtles and sharks glide above you in our underwater tunnel. Come and visit our Tropical Reef- Complete with a shark encircled wreck and breath taking tropical coral! Enjoy holding crabs and learning about the shoreline at our rockpool display. Feeding the rays is also an unforgettable experience, but watch out for the lively sea bass!

DIGGERLAND, STROOD - A unique adventure park based on the world of construction machinery, where adult and children can ride and drive diggers and dumpers in safety

DRUSILLAS PARK, ALFRISTON – Widely regarded as the best small zoo in the country Drusillas Park offers an opportunity to get nose to nose with nature with hundreds of exotic animals from monkeys and crocodiles to penguins and meerkats. But animals are only half the fun – Go Wild! Go Bananas! and Amazon Adventure are paradise for anyone who needs to let off steam and Thomas the Tank Engine offers a train service 362 days a year.

EAGLE HEIGHTS BIRD OF PREY CENTRE, EYNESFORD - Enjoy the spectacular view across the Darent Valley while watching Eagles, Hawks, Falcons and Vultures flying all around you

EASTBOURNE MINIATURE STEAM RAILWAY - Ride for nearly a mile behind scale coal-fired miniature steam locomotives around a 5 acre lake. Fun or relaxation all day. Adventure playground, indoor model railways, garden railway, steam or diesel train journeys, lineside walk, picnic areas, Thomas the Tank Engine souvenir/gift shop, café and prize-winning tea gardens

FARMING WORLD, FAVERSHAM - A great day out for all of the family with friendly farm animals, shire horses, falconry displays and a selection of adventure playgrounds

HEAVEN FARM, FURNERS GREEN - Set in 100 acres of beautiful parkland, Heaven Farm is steeped in 600 years of farming history and includes the Bluebell nature trail featured many times on BBC TV, wallabies and Rural Life Museum

HOP FARM FAMILY PARK, TONBRIDGE - Packed full of new features, rides and undercover wonders to entertain and fuel imaginations – come and enjoy one of life’s biggest adventures.

HOWLETTS WILD ANIMAL PARK, CANTERBURY - Set in over 100 acres of beautiful ancient parkland, Howletts is home to some of the worlds most rare and endangered animals, including the biggest captive group of Western Lowland gorillas in the world, snow leopards, Iberian wolves and black rhino.

LEGOLAND, WINDSOR - A family park with hands-on activities, rides, themed playscapes and more LEGO bricks than you ever dreamed possible.

OBSERVATORY SCIENCE CENTRE, HAILSHAM - Hands-on science and discovery among the domes and telescopes of a world- famous astronomical observatory

PORT LYMPNE WILD ANIMAL PARK - Home to over 500 rare and endangered animals including Przewalski horses, Siberian tigers and the largest breeding herd of black rhino outside of Africa

SEVEN SISTERS SHEEP FARM, EASTBOURNE - A family run farm for animal lovers of all ages; the worlds largest collection of breeds of sheep (55) and all the other farm favourites; tame enough to touch and feed

SMUGGLERS ADVENTURE, HASTINGS - Journey deep into the heart of Hastings’ historic West Hill to discover the fascinating world of the Smugglers Adventure in St Clements Caves.

SPA VALLEY RAILWAY, TUNBRIDGE WELLS - Take a trip on the Spa Valley Railway through the beautiful Wealden countryside. This heritage railway, primarily operating steam hauled passenger trains, runs from the historic town of Royal Tunbridge Wells, via High Rocks, to the charming village of Groombridge

THORPE PARK, CHERTSEY - As the nation’s Thrill Capital, THORPE PARK is the ‘must do’ destination for adrenaline junkies!

YESTERDAY’S WORLD, BATTLE - Step back in time with a visit to Yesterday’s World and enjoy a wonderful trip down memory lane bringing back to life the sights and sounds of the past 100 years with lovingly recreated rooms and shops

INTERESTING INFORMATION ABOUT THE AREA: Back to top

The chalk ramparts of England – from the white cliffs of Dover westwards to the Seven Sisters – have for centuries been the first sight of island Britain for friend and foe, traveller and invader.

Chinks in the defences saw the Romans led by Julius Caesar landing at Deal after a less than successful attempt at Dover.  And they allowed William, Duke of Normandy – later to be known as The Conqueror – to come ashore at Pevensey, before routing the Saxon King Harold at what is now Battle.

Beachy Head, standing out into the English Channel nearly 550 feet high, was admired by the Norman invaders. So much so they named it Beau Chef – beautiful head.

With invasion from Europe a constant threat through the Middle Ages, the ports that nestled in the shelter of England’s chalk walls were fortified to become the Cinque Ports.  The five towns of Hastings, Sandwich, Dover, Romney and Hythe provided ships and men to serve the king.

There are more than 250 miles of coastline to explore from Dover and those dramatic cliffs to the peace of Cuckmere Haven. The Cuckmere River meanders through fabulous countryside and the haven opens onto a huge, unspoiled bay of chalk and flint.

It was to such inaccessible bays and beaches that smugglers brought ashore “…brandy for the parson, baccy for the clerk. Laces for a lady; letters for a spy…”

That’s a line from just one of hundreds of epic poems, yarns and songs about the smugglers of this part of England in the 18^th and 19^th centuries. They were cruel and remorseless and have been romanticised over the years and their legacy is a colourful, historical tour.

(((In 1896, Walter Arnold, of East Peckham, near Tonbridge, Kent, became the first motorist ever to be convicted of speeding. He was travelling at 8 mph in an area where the speed limit was 2 mph. He was fined one shilling (5p).)))

Let’s stay by the seaside and call in on Brighton, one of several south coast resorts that enjoyed royal patronage.

Today it’s a fun-loving mix of the great British seaside, cosmopolitan arts and something that only a visit to this occasionally outrageous town can reveal.

The Prince of Wales, later to become George IV, first visited Brighton in 1783. Here he could indulge in his more raffish pursuits that were best followed away from Court. He converted his farmhouse retreat into the flamboyant Royal Pavilion and the aristocrats who followed him there had the town’s magnificent Regency terraces built.

Round the corner from Dover into the Thames estuary and maritime Kent.  On the way there’s another of George IV’s favourites – Ramsgate.

Up the River Medway, Chatham and Rochester share a fascinating maritime heritage.

The dockyards at Chatham saw the keels laid of some of the great ‘wooden walls of England’ – the fighting ships that sailed against the Spanish Armada and saw victory at Trafalgar. Rochester has a cathedral and Norman castle.

The great Victorian novelist, Charles Dickens, grew up in Chatham and spent his last years at Gad’s Hill, on the outskirts of Rochester.  He wrote several of his novels in Bleak House, overlooking the harbour at Broadstairs.

(((“Kent, sir,” observed Mr Jingle, in Dickens’ Pickwick Papers.  “Everyone knows Kent – apples, cherries, hops and women.”)))

Moving inland we make the most of the stunning landscape of the south east. The rolling chalklands of the North and Kent Downs; the eerie Romney Marsh, once beneath the sea; the High Weald with its ridges and valleys.

Orchards and hop fields fill the valleys alongside ancient woodland; sheep graze hedgerowed pastures and downland.

Oast houses and thatched, half-timbered or weatherboarded cottages and farmhouses set off the great castles.

Leeds Castle was one of Henry VIII’s homes and Hever was the childhood home of his ill-fated wife, Anne Boleyn. And there’s the medieval fortress of Bodiam.

The classic landscapes are a foil to some of the finest gardens in Britain, if not the world.  Certainly, Sissinghurst Castle garden, at Cranbrook, ranks as one of the most celebrated. At Merriments, in Hurst Green, woodland and a Monet-style water garden set off dazzling herbaceous borders. The feast continues at Penshurst Place and Groombridge Place.

Canterbury Cathedral, the awe-inspiring mother church of Christendom, is set in one of England’s oldest cities.

This 12^th century treasure is a spectacular conclusion to a tour of the inland villages and towns of the south east.  These include the Saxon town of Sevenoaks; Tonbridge, with its Norman castle; fashionable Royal Tunbridge Wells; Tenterden, where Tudor, Georgian and modern buildings mix and…well, the list is endless.

So much history; so many fabulous walks and drives; such peace…and enough city lights.  They call this corner of England ‘special’.