| The discovery of Roman swords and
artefacts suggests the site of Beech Court is an
ancient one. The gardens lie some 500 feet above
sea level on a pocket of acidic clay on the edge
of the North Downs. The designers had great
admiration for Inverewe Gardens and this is
reflected in the many pines, firs and shrubs. 
Enjoy a light meal in The Oast
Richard III's illegitimate
son may well have had a hand in building the 15th
century house as he worked as a carpenter for
Eastwell Manor and is buried in the chapel there.
Hops were last
brought into the old oast at the turn of the
century (1900) - it is now the tea-room!
The
farmyard was badly damaged in the 1987 hurricane
and has now become the plant area. The garden
lost over 250 trees in that storm.
The pond was
originally designed as a drinking trough for the
farm horses. The dell may well have been a Saxon
settlement or mined for chalk or even used for a
cock fighting pit.
|
The
remains of the medieval flint wall marks the old
boundary - it now provides a platform for some of
the smaller acers. The trees around the old
tennis court include a fine specimen of Eucryphia
(flowering in August), and Cornus Kousa
(flowering in June), a Metasequoia
Glyptostroboides (a living fossil) and a Sequoia
Sempervirens, a large and long lived conifer. The
bank looking over the front garden has a
specially designed bed for the visually impaired.
The shrubbery contains many acers and some
original apple trees from the old orchard. The
Buddleias attract many varieties of butterflies.
A meal and a cream tea!
The Dene hole or
chalkwell is where chalk was mined - the shaft is
30 feet deep. legend has it that when the Danes
invaded Kent the locals took refuge down these
holes hence the name Dene hole.
As you tour around
the garden you will find many beautiful and rare
trees. We would like to thank the Kent Gardens
Trust for helping us with the identification of
the trees.
|
