 |
 |
 |
Emmetts Garden is not very large it covers an area of about 4 acres at the highest point in Kent on the 600 foot sandstone ridge. It is not so much a garden as an arboretum, although there is a formal rose garden adjacent to the Victorian house (the house is not open to the public). Beside the garden is a further 14 acres of wooded valley which is also open to the public..
The garden was created by a banker called Frederick Lubbock, between 1893 and 1895 and the shrub garden was added in 1900 -1908. The garden layout has been attributed to Lubbocks friend gardener William Robinson. After Lubbocks death in 1927 the estate was purchased by an American geologist Charles Watson Boise, who until 1964 carried out sympathetic alterations and additions to the house and grounds thereby preserving the gardens original character.
The great storm of 1987 which devastated the area felled many large tree's including 80 foot Oaks and Beeches, but it did at least open up unobstructed views over the Weald of Kent as far as the North Downs in one direction and Crowborough Beacon in the other.
There is a pleasant enclosed rock garden that has recently been restored. In the spring there are carpets of Daffodils, azaleas and the bluebell woods, followed in the autumn with a splendid display of colour from the many varieties of trees and shrubs. But there is something to see at most times of the year, the views alone make a visit worth while.
There is also the stable tearoom for light meals and refreshments
The garden is now a National trust property and is located 1.5 miles north of Ide Hill in Kent off the B2042 outside Sevenoakes.
| *Link to official site for viewing Visitor Information* |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| Please continue to Emmetts Garden Page Two |