England, Monday, 5/29/2017

An overnight thunderstorm, but a beautiful morning here in Kent.  It is such a joy to sleep with the windows open as we have done on this entire trip.  I know Great Britain has a reputation for foul weather, but we have thoroughly enjoyed all of it, rain or shine.  The moderate temperatures and the moisture make everything a green wonderland.

After another full English breakfast, or porridge and eggs for some, we head out this morning towards what we hope will be the ultimate garden destination of this trip: Sissinghurst Garden and Castle.  We arrive shortly after opening at 11:30 to find that the parking lot is almost completely filled.  We stroll through reception, flashing our favorite Royal Oak Society / National Trust membership cards and we are directed off to the gardens.

We walk through the arched opening of the gate and are transported to a place we have never been before.  Color everywhere, plants and flowers we are familiar with but never in this intensity or proliferation of colors and sizes.  Plants we have no idea of their names, but can only recognize their beauty.  This magical place was created starting in 1932 by Vita Sackville-West and her husband Howard Nicolson.  Both were prolific writers and Vita, especially, was a world renowned gardener.

I have no words to adequately describe these gardens, all with themes: The White Garden, The Rose Garden, The Cottage Garden., The Moat Walk, and many others.  The Wisteria walk was particularly astonishing.  Today the entire estate remains a working farm with cattle, sheep, and vegetables.  We climbed the 78 steps to the top of the tower, originally constructed in the 1560s, and were rewarded with a stunning view of the entire set of gardens arrayed before us.

In the library, we learned quite a lot about Sackville-West and Nicolson.  The couple were close friends of a variety of famous writers of the day.  Sackville-West was a lover of Virginia Wolf and the publishing house/press established by Wolf, Sackville-West, and Nicolson went on to publish a number of their individual novels.

The gardens are maintained by a team of 8 gardeners and many volunteers.  We left after three hours, stopped at the cafe for a tea and scone and then made our customary run through the gift shop. We learned much about the couple and their amazing lives in the library, cottage where they lived  and gift shop.  The Nicolson family continues to occupy the south part of the house and one of the cottages.

This afternoon we travel back through the village of Tenterden to the village of Smallhythe for another National Trust property, the house of the actress, Ellen Terry.  This small house was built in 1515.  Ellen Terry was born in the 1847 and died in 1928.  She became the leading Shakespearean actress of her time.  She lived in this small home for nearly thirty years, until her death in 1928.  The home was immediately turned into a museum and shrine to her legacy by her daughter Edith (Edy) and eventually turned over to the National Trust in 1937. 

Strolling through the home, looking at all the costumes and collections she picked up in her 7 decade career was intriguing.  The house itself is a character with its sloping floors, creaking staircase and wonderful rooms.  Outside there is a lovely small garden, and adjacent a small thatched roof theater established by her daughter.  The theater continues to put on plays and productions throughout the year.

Next we  returned to Tenterden for a stroll along High Street; as it is a bank holiday, most shops are closed, but we looked in a number of windows, glanced at antiques and staring at the offers in all the charity shops, resolving to stop back tomorrow on our way out of town.  We came upon the Vine Hotel and Inn and made dinner reservations for later in the evening.  We had been looking for pub food - specifically a cottage or shepherd's pie dish.  This one looked promising.  Back to our hotel for a drink in the garden and then returned to Vine for dinner.  The ladies had what turned out to be a very tasty chicken and ham pot pie with a wonderful pastry crust, accompanied by mashed potatoes and peas.  I had a bacon wrapped roast chicken breast over tagliatelle noodles.  The chicken was tasty, but the noodles were bland.  Tim ordered a pulled pork barbecue ragu enchilada.  Not a success, as it was sweet and barbecue tasting.  The only thing enchilada about it was the flour tortilla with cheese that was draped around it.

Back to the hotel for the evening, retiring around our normal 9:30; and falling asleep with memories of the gardens in our heads.