25,000 Tulips

Part of our job is to be able to advise guests on where to go and what to do when visiting us. We can always suggest the obvious, perhaps a trip on the Eastbourne City Sightseeing Bus which will take you as far Beachy Head amongst other places. We would also suggest a visit to Sovereign Harbour and the Towner Gallery, perhaps a show at the local theatre, however we also want you to visit some of the hidden gems that East Sussex has to offer, none of which are more than 45 minutes away, and so this blog is about Pashley Manor Gardens, just one of those gems that you really ought to visit...

Open only from the 1st April until October each year, Pashley Manor Gardens offer so much to see throughout the short season that  one visit just won't be enough. We were lucky to attend, just towards the end of the Tulip Festival which lasts for around 2 weeks and what a sight to see, 25000 tulips in bloom, it really was beautiful.

The gardens are split with different walkways, secret paths and peaceful waters. There is a lovely walk through some woods, known as Bluebell Walk, and it was clear why. Although we visited just as they were going over, you could see that when they were in full bloom it would have looked almost like you were walking through water.

As you walk around you spot all the different flowers and grand old

trees that's are unfolding in the Spring weather, the grass is so green and the trees are coming back to life after their long winter sleep. Rhododendrons are in full bloom and the weeping willows dip the tips of their branches into the waters surrounding them. Just below the wall of the enclosed Elizabethan Garden the Magnolia Soulangeana is also covered in huge rosy buds which will eventually open up into cream and pink flowers.

Carefully placed around the grounds are sculptures of animals and people.  A lady sat by the water reading a book with her trusted dog by her side, a family of pigs playing on the grass and some cheeky otters splashing about on the waters edge. Don't miss either the Stag, hidden in the trees watching a Doe grazing.

In the Pool Garden there is a family relaxing, a boy reading a book on

the diving board, a lady drying herself with a towel, a young girl watching her sister play by the pool. This area of beautiful flowers with these beautiful sculptures really brings the small garden to life, and you can almost hear the laughter of a family as they played in the sun in days gone by.

Pashley Manor is more than just beautiful gardens, it has a lot of history with it. This Wrought-iron bridge the leads over to the Island in the Moat where the original manor house would have stood back in 1262. On this island you will see a sculpture of a loan woman. This woman is none other than the famous Anne Boleyn, wife to Henry VIII for just 1000 days, who's family owned Pashley and used it as a hunting lodge in the 16th century.

I could go on with this blog, but I feel I can stop here, knowing I have given you a taste for what it is like without telling you everything. You really ought to visit these amazing gardens because I can't do them justice through photos or words. 

There is an exciting programme of special events at Pashley Manor Gardens, starting with Bluebell Walk and the Tulip Festival as previously mentioned, to the Rose Weekend and the Kitchen Garden Weekend, followed by Lily Time in August and finally the Sussex Guild Craft Show. So, when you come to visit us, please try and find the time to visit Pashley, I promise you won't be disappointed.