Gravetye

Back in April, Mrs Catspaw and I managed to book a slot for a morning visit today to the gardens at Gravetye Manor, under the weekly garden opening arrangements between the hotel and the William Robinson Gravetye Charity.

Neither of us had ever visited the gardens before, and they did not disappoint. It was fascinating to see the amount of activity in the oval Walled Garden, with gardeners, hotel and kitchen staff maintaining and cutting flowers and produce for the hotel's daily needs - giving a powerful sense of continuity with how this walled garden (and hundreds like it, across the country) would have been in everyday use in times past.