Godinton House, Kent

Godinton House

How slender, simple, shy, divinely chaste,
She wilting stood,
Her suppleness at pause, by leisure graced,
In robes archaic by the chisel woo’d,
That smoothly flowed around her waist And all her figure traced,
And at her feet in fluid ripples broke;
‘Vita’ Sackville-West (1892-1962)

Godinton House is an ancient brick built Jacobean house built around a medieval hall. It was the seat of the Toke family for about 455 years from 1440 to 1895 but at the turn of the 20^th Century, Mr Ashley Dodd, then owner, employed architect and garden designer, Sir Reginald Blomfield, to update the house and redesign the gardens. It was at this time that the famous Yew Hedge was planted which follows the Dutch gable form of the House.

In 1991 Major Alan Wyndham-Green, the last owner of Godinton, established the “Godinton House Preservation Trust”. Since Major Wyndham-Green’s passing in 1996 the Trust has continued to preserve, restore, and enhance the house and parklands.

There are twelve acres of tranquil gardens to be explored surrounded by parkland studded with mature Oaks and Chestnuts. Terraced lawns bordered by the famous Yew Hedge and topiaried box have been softened over the last century by the addition of long herbaceous borders and ornamental tree and shrub plantings and there is a lovely rose garden, intimate Italian garden and walled garden.

This is a garden with lots of space and wonderful views over the surrounding countryside, which contains many smaller garden areas within.

Godinton House