Sissinghurst in Summer

The charm of Sissinghurst gardens is that whatever season you arrive there is always something different to see. This day I was determined to see the White Rose Garden in its full summer glory. I was lucky. The garden was at its best with the sun shining, people marvelling at the layout and the abundant white roses, plus the other white themed plants that abound in the formal layout.

As I said with Sissinghurst there is always something different to see and, answering a call of nature I was surprised to see a Swallow sitting on a nest in the entrance to the Gent's toilets - naturally I took a picture.

There are more Swallows in the Barn which I notice is being refurbished. It is also the way out to see the new vegetable garden which has, so I was told, been shown on the telly. News to me, as i do not watch the telly.

A Swallow looking confused and bemused in an unlikely place.
Extremely busy!

This was a brief visit to look at the rose garden devised by the Sackville-Wests as I have always only seen it when it was finished or just beginning to blossom.

I was impressed.

I was also impressed by the myriad different colors in the gardens as I wandered around. The gardens always please and are ever changing so I offer these few pictures as a contrast to the white roses.

A delightful corner of extreme color - whatever the planst are they are very pretty.

Mind you, I enjoyed seeing the Swallows.

Gunpowder experience

The Gunpowder Works at Oare, now a Countryside Park is part of Kent's heritage and this dangerous activity was once a mainstay of Oare and Faversham's manufacturing. Faversham, that ancient town, home of Shepheard Neame brewery, the Hop Festival and the centre of the apple and pear growing was also the home of a thriving gunpowder industry and to learn the extent of the trade a visit to the Oare Gunpowder Works is an education.

Part of the old works buildings

Set in the Bysing Woods the vistor is treated to a casual walk, a pleasant place for a picnic and on July 12th 2009 an entertainment to boot!

Artists in the Woods is the theme where artists will show off their skills and give the public a chance to take part. Musicians wiill play and sing and where you are likely to come upon some wandering poets who will read and recite.

As a bonus there are a pair of swans with their cygnets on the lake for the visitor to see and as the music will be acoustic the visitor can listen to the birds and catch sight of fleeting squirrels.

We liked the pathways that allow access to most of the site by wheelchair and buggy and most of all the place is green and tranquil.

Myself, James Apps and my two fellow Island Artists Bob Collins and Bill Anthony will be performing.

However, the place is worth a visit especially if you also take a trip to the Three Mariners at Oare and sample their ale and food.

Part of the gentle walking path

Ellen Terry's home - Smallhythe

Smallhythe House is steeped in theatrical history. Once the home of the Victorian Actor Ellen Terry it is now part of the National Trust who naturally take a pride in celebrating the actor's history and performances. The house is old but then so is the area - as far as people living there are concerned - and was once a port on the Stour. Today the house is a museum of the Victorian stage which inside is well worth a visit although having already seen the inside for this day I chose to see the gardens alone and leave the house to another time.

The gardens were designed by the actor in part and today we can enjoy the Rose garden and enjoy the roses that clamber over the building adding color to the 15th century walls. I wandered the gardens enjoying the sudden bright color that although not overwhelming seemed to be abundant offering little surprises as I walked around the cut lanes through the nuttery and peeped at the house through gaps in the hedges.


I mentioned that the house is a museum but to imagine it as a deadly dull train of exhibits would be wrong; the place is alive with the presence of Ellen Terry as if living there she claimed it for her own and made a mark on it that will not be eradicated. And as if to emphasise that life there is the barn which is being thatched but still open and in use as a theatre. It is there that memories of great actors are embedded in the story of the house where greats have stood on the stage and played their parts and where many others have contributed to its running. It is there that a program of plays and performances is carried out during the year and in the Summer there is to be played a Shakespeare play. This year's offering is As You Like It and I hope to be one of the audience.

A view of the house from the rose garden

As a romantic and soppy cat owner (I am soppy not the cat) I like to wander around thinking about soft furry animals, birds, bees and other creatures. As a result I have time to sit and reflect on the slow growth of a garden and how it changes and develops over many years and yet when one returns to it the changes are not always that obvious. Smallhythe is like that and as the years pass so the garden seems to mature but although I am sure it was different the last time I visited it I am sure it was the same. I found that reassuring.

Roses in the rose garden

To sit where Ellen Terry may have sat and contemplate such silly things as my cat and the evidence of Rabbits trying to take over the grassy knolls; and try to visualise the ship building and the nature of the port ( the name Hythe says such was the nature of the place) and imagine water where there are now fields. On leaving the place I took the road to Oxney Island and as I passed the river flats I could see the water meadows that are now part of the land.

The Rose arbor from the Gazebo

Smallhythe house is a part of our heritage and well worth a visit. The atmosphere is peaceful yet alive as if the Victorians have left behind a spirit (Gin I expect) that is there for the visitor to absorb and take a little away with them as an inspiriation for their own creative bent. I felt the atmosphere in the barn as the stage unfolded to my view. A person was dressing a figure in costume and we chatted recognising the actor in each other - she an actor and myself a poetry performer and actor - she showed her enthusiasm and declared that being on stage and also in the audience at the Barn is a wonderful experience.

Visit Smallhythe and feel two parts of our history - that connected to the stage and that of our maritime prowess. You will not be disappointed. Also, a treat, a pair of Swallows nesting in the cafe.

Some Have Greatness Thrust Upon Them

We aimed for Sarre and the windmill but instead we turned off at St Nicholas at Wade and saw there was an open garden event going on. So we circled the village and ended up parking in St Nicholas Court where we bought tickets and started on the hike around the open gardens. The guide sheet had a little paragraph at the bottom to say that 'we hope you enjoy your visit to St Nicholas at Wade' and we have to say that we did indeed enjoy it.


This is an ancient Pyrocanthea that Daphne is pointing at. I mean ancient!

We were impressed not only by the gardens which were all working gardens and lived in except for 12A that was put together at the last moment and looked as if the owner had worked on it up to the day of showing. She had! The result was a garden under development that was fresh, bright and surprisingly, once the visitor had stopped to take a good look at it, a well laid out garden that had great potential.



The 14thC undergrond chapel at St Nicholas Court





The treat was visiting St Nicholas Court - and later we learned that this had been owned by the family Tapp whome we met later in the day. The Grandfather grew roses in tandem with fruit trees, mostly apples and the result was a wonderful combination of emerging fruit and rose blooms that entwined with the branches. The rest of the Tapp family had adopted a similar approach and here it gets complicated - the granddaughter and her husband, a most charming couple, live in a house that once belonged to the grandfather and hence there was an ancient apple tree with an equally ancient rose bush embracing it. In the grandaughter's mother's garden there was a similar invasion.





The amazing thing about the visit was the friendliness and the enthusiasm of the people for their church and village. Nothing was pristine which was refreshing and at each place we went the owners were happy to chat and happy to know that two out of towners were willing to come and look at their offerings.



A typical gable end



St Nicholas at Wade is one of those villages that are set off the main road and warrant only a sign pointing the way yet when the visitor arrives it is obvious there is more to the place than merely a pub and a few houses. The buildings are unusual and from the shapes of some gable ends one can see a Dutch influence. The older houses in the most cases have been added to but their 18thC origins remmain and from were the occasional Tudor house is placed it is also obvious that there were more Tudor originals. In other words the place is steeped in history which we have yet to discover.





This cottage is set in a disused chalkpit - circa 1720 which means the pit was worked out by the lime burners sometime before 1800.



We took many pictures of the gardens and the village and as the week end was devoted to the restoration of the church we were also pleased to add to the coffers in return for the openess of the residents. I took a picture of the restored church tower and naturally chose to take it framed by trees and roses. We had said that this time of year is the best time for roses although roses are seen for a long time during the summer.

We can recommend taking time to visit St Nicholas at Wade and maybe combining the visit with a walk to Sarre.





As an accidental visit the day was most enjoyable and has increased our desire to explore Thanet more widely.