Visit to Penshurst Place with guided tours of both the house and gardens
Visit to Penshurst Place with guided tours of both the house and gardens
Our second visit this year is to Penshurst Place, a 14th century Manor House once the property of King Henry VIII, which was left to his son King Edward VI and granted to Sir William Sidney in 1552. The Sidney family have been in continuous occupation for more than 470 years since.
Refreshments are at 10.45 followed by a guided tour, lasting about an hour. This tour will take us through the State Rooms, including The West Solar, The Long Gallery, Queen Elizabeth Room (named after Queen Elizabeth I, who often held audience there during her many visits), Tapestry Room, Panelled Room, Crypt and Nether Gallery, the Baron’s Hall built in 1341 and the Victorian Kitchen, opened in 2023.
The House has been a popular location for filming, including ‘Anne of the Thousand Days’ (1969), ‘The Other Boleyn Girl’ (2008), ‘Wolf Hall’ (2014) and ‘Mary Queen of Scots’ (2019).
After the House Tour there will be plenty of time to buy lunch at the Porcupine Pantry Café, which serves a selection of locally-made cakes, hot and cold drinks, pastries, sandwiches, baguettes, hot lunch options, salads and snacks.
We reassemble at 2.00pm for a private guided tour of the Garden which lasts approximately an hour.
The Formal Walled Gardens, in the Baroque style, are another of Penshurst’s treasures. A network of trimmed yew hedges and flower terraces make up an 11 acre patchwork of individual garden rooms which reflect the changing fashions of garden design. Features include a large Italian parterre, fountains, lily ponds, sundials and orchards, all enclosed within the old walls.
In the grounds are lakes, a Woodland Trail, Toy Museum and Gift Shop and you can re-access the House if you wish to spend more time there.
You might also wish to visit the historically interesting village and church area, known as Leicester Square, reached from the Coach Parking area, walking out of the driveway towards the village. Tickets will be on sale at our March 17 meeting.
Leave APMH at 09.00 with refreshments in the Garden Room on arrival
Guided House Tour at 10.45 then time to explore and have lunch [at own expense]
Guided Garden Tour at 2pm Depart Penshurst Place at 4.30pm Cost £60pp
Image: Penshurst Place by Drummondhall, licensed under CC Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license