Friday 9 May 2014

Pashley Manor Gardens - the best of the rest

For once I haven't forgotten to do the "Part 2" of a post!


Here are the last of the photos of Pashley Manor Gardens where we visited last weekend for the Tulip Festival.

To put it all in context, here is a little bit of history about the Pashley Manor estate in Ticehurst, Kent. 

Quoting from the leaflet we were given, " The de Passele family built a moated Manor in 1262 and held the estate until 1453 when it was sold to the Boleyns. It is possible that Anne Boleyn, second wife of Henry VIII stayed here during her childhood. In 1543 the estate was sold to Sir Thomas May who built the house you see today. The fine Georgian facade you see today was added in 1720. The house is a family home and is not open to the public."



Let's take a wander through the gardens....................



We're in the walled pool garden now (having passed through two large parts of the garden with all the tulip and rose beds - you can see the tulips in Part 1, my last post, here ), where a swimming pool is set in a lovely sheltered mediterranean-type garden. There were too many people wandering around in here to get a decent photo of the whole garden.


a lovely Cistus flowering already






One of the joys of this garden are the beautiful statues, sculptures and other works of art throughout the gardens in the most delightful and unexpected places, enhancing the landscape, plantings and vistas.



tea and cakes on the terrace................very civilised



lots of bold and greedy ducks wander around, jostling for food at the tea tables


majestic black swan





some of the wonderful wood carvings that appear to grow out of the trees and be a part of them

and one that is a bit more obvious!


the one below not quite so........these trees must be quite old



pigs rootling under the trees


fiery azaleas






candelabra primulas I think


we crossed a bridge to Moat Island where the original house was built, and where now stands a folly - there was an inscription on the floor but I've forgotten what it was!


and we found a lonely and quite sad statue of Anne Boleyn staring out across the moat




us girls having a little rest!









spot the black swan in the background behind the sculpture?


  


statues even in the walled kitchen garden


this beautiful yellow azalea is scented too...the fragrance wafted along the path



I wonder whether this elegant lady was about to dip her toe in the pool? 

I hope you enjoyed your garden visit.
If you missed the post with all the glorious tulips in flower in this garden, you can see them here.


19 comments:

  1. Once again a beautiful walk, the photos are a dream to view.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Gorgeous pictures!! I would love to see those gardens someday!

    ReplyDelete
  3. very pretty the sculpture gardens of the manor lovely

    ReplyDelete
  4. Never been to a place like this.I'll remember if I return to UK.! What a sumptuous landscape, so very English with an individual character! Oh Gil, I'm so happy for you, I'm sending you my best and warmest wishes.I think you did the prettiest gift to yourself! And all this photo reportage is really unique!!!
    Hugs, Olympia

    ReplyDelete
  5. Oh these images are almost overwhelming! The gardens and the sculpture are just *so beautiful*, you really had a very special day! Chrissie x

    ReplyDelete
  6. There was so much for you to see there, some of those sculptures look amazing I love the ones on the benches.

    ReplyDelete
  7. So many fantastic sculptures. We hope to visit the gardens soon - thanks for pointing us in the right direction. x

    ReplyDelete
  8. What a wonderful garden to explore. I could almost smell the fresh spring air. Thank you for bringing spring to New Zealand xxx

    ReplyDelete
  9. So so beautiful!! The flowers are just divine and the sculptures are amazing. I love the very first one, the lady sitting on the bench with the dog and the very last one which reminds me of a Degas sculpture. What a wonderful place to go for a visit. Thank you for sharing this, it is so lovely to see. xx

    ReplyDelete
  10. Oh, what a place! I always think the gardens in these places are stunning, just beautiful to wander around. I could spend hours in a place like this! Thanks for sharing your photos with us. x

    ReplyDelete
  11. This is such beautiful garden! I love sculpture and would love to have a wander through the gardens myself. Definitely a place to visit if I am ever in your part of the world. Thank you for sharing these amazing photos.

    ReplyDelete
  12. I'm so glad you posted part 2, Gill, for I had missed your first post on this fab place! What beauty, so much of it everywhere! Some of those sculptures are so so elegant, and the tree carvings almost magical, whilst the flowers - well, what can you say about mother nature's wonderful gifts! Divine! Thank you so much for sharing this with us, and happy belated birthday wishes to you Gill - what an excellent treat on your special day! Love, Joy xo

    ReplyDelete
  13. What a wonderful place and some stunning sculptures. Thank you for that.
    Gillx

    ReplyDelete
  14. What lovely sculptures. So evocative. And I didn't know black swans were even real!

    ReplyDelete
  15. Beautiful photo's Gill, what an amazing place, so much history just imagine all the people who have passed that way!
    I love the wood carvings in the trees. :)
    V x

    ReplyDelete
  16. A gorgeous set of photos, Gill! I loved seeing so many stunning garden pictures, and the sculptures were fascinating too. I must visit this garden next time we are nearby!
    Wishing you a happy weekend.
    Helen xox

    ReplyDelete
  17. It looks fabulous, so many beautiful sculptures, I particularly like the pigs. The house looks wonderful too cloaked in wisteria, what a lovely place to live.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Beautiful, Gill! All the flowers are gorgeous, but I especially love the Wisteria; it's one of my very favorites. I enjoy seeing all the statuary and sculptures mingling with the flowers, trees, and shrubs.

    It looks like you enjoyed an extra nice birthday -- thanks so much for sharing the pictures with us!

    Hugs,

    Denise at Forest Manor

    ReplyDelete
  19. I have just caught up with all your recent posts.
    How gorgeous Pashley Manor gardens are, full of so many beautiful statues.
    I loved the post on Chelsea, how funny those woven meerkats look, my mother in law would love those in her garden and I like the green armchair and coffee table.
    Your latest batch of cushions are lovely too, I like the Paris linen ones alot.
    The red poppy you have in your garden is a delight and huge too by the sounds of it!
    Lavender chocolate is so nice, I had some as a birthday present the other year and loved it.
    Lisa x

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for visiting and for taking the time to leave a comment - I love to read them!
Gill x