Scotney Castle - Kent, England

If there is one pleasure of Spring in England that I indulge in more than any other that is visiting the gardens of stately homes and old sites in our corner of England. To drive through the lanes and take in the spring blossom, the trees and hedges bedecked with fresh green leaves, birds flitting around busily feeding their young and to enjoy the uncertaintity of an English spring day is the highlight of a working week.

And Scotney Castle? The National Trust estate offers a view of the Victorian house that dominates the highest point and overlooks the valleys west of Lamberhurst and a Folly built around a twelth century castle complete with moat and gardens. The pictures on this page show some of the early showings - above is a view of the quarry that now no longer used as a sorce of building material became a garden of Azaleas and Rhododendrons. The pictures show some of these and some views of the grounds.

The trip was to take the opportunity to walk, my sister and I do this most Saturdays, with the object of finding Bluebells. As you can see from the pictures we were successful. The sight of a carpet of Bluebells, the scent of them as the sun warms them is a magic memory from my childhood and one that, like a pilgrimage, I seek out each spring. The idea is to walk the pathways, to walk them in all seasons and to enjoy the changes and with that sense of wonder retained from childhood, those innocent days of never ending pleasure, to enjoy the sight.

The grounds of Scotney Castle take advantage of the valley in which the castle was originally built and provide the visitor with hilly walks that open out the views and like all National Trust properties they are well looked after and above all conserved as close to the original as possible. My perception of these places is that we are trying to encapture time and keep it for the future. The problem is that all the properties have evolved over the centuries and we may have lost the original intention of the gardens. As for the buildings, we cannot continually expect to preserve them without spending much care and time on preservation and conservation work. we have to accept that eventually we may lose the buildings and rely on photographic evidence of their former state. We can hold off the ravages of time for a period but eventually we will have to concede defeat, but in the meantime we can enjoy them and their history. The gardens however are dynamic entities that can be constantly replenished or changed according to needs. For example Scotney has removed the bamboo stands that dotted the upper valley floor having realised that bamboo is likely to take over. Likewise the Rhododendron bushes beside the moat have been drastically pruned which will no doubt allow healthy growth and give pleasure to generations of visitors as they eventually grow and bush up instead of take over and smother the area.

The place is worth a visit and with the exstensive estate walks and the paths that link with Lamberhurst is well worth including in a weekend excursion. There are a number of pubs in the town and more in the area where good food, beer and accomodation can be found.