Tuesday 7 June saw the official opening of Hever Castle’s new garden exhibition Astor’s Garden Legacy by gardening celebrity, Rachel de Thame. Held on the Loggia with the stunning backdrop of the Lake and Italian Garden, over 60 guests attended the launch including the owners of Hever Castle & Gardens, the Guthrie Family, as well as many dignitaries and councillors.
In her speech, Rachel de Thame commented that “it’s [the exhibition] perfect, it really will add greatly to the experience of visiting the garden. There’s masses of information, but it’s accessible; there’s something for all ages, for all levels of expertise.”
Rachel went on to praise the way the displays bring to life the history of how William Waldorf Astor created the gardens: “the exhibition is brilliant for showing how that was achieved – so much in such a short time. It highlights the extraordinary feats of engineering and the efforts involved, not since Capability Brown moved hills and re-routed rivers has such an ambitious reordering of nature taken place to become a reality…”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wbh0jTXqYPU
Launched to coincide with VisitEngland’s ‘Year of the English Garden’, Astor’s Garden Legacy brings the rich heritage of the Hever Castle gardens to life. Tracing the restoration and development of the gardens from Tudor times to the present day, this interactive garden exhibition fuses archive imagery and informative display panels with modern technology.
The exhibition is housed in a refurbished 19th century potting shed located next to the Courtyard Shop. Prior to the renovation, the shed was used by the gardeners to store their tools. Rachel de Thame declared the exhibition open with current owner, John Guthrie:
Visitors to Astor’s Garden Legacy will glean fascinating insights such as:
Leach designed and installed the garden exhibition; the company was chosen for their great experience of creating inspiring visitor environments in a number of heritage properties. Using Hever Castle’s striking brand, Leach worked with the marketing department to create an engaging and educational exhibition. The installation took 1.5 days to complete, watch the full installation here:
Astor’s Garden Legacy is a permanent display which gives visitors a rare insight into the design and creation of the stunning Hever Castle gardens. Entrance to the garden exhibition is included in the normal admission price. The garden exhibition is open to the public now.
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Within the grounds of the Hever Castle Estate, there are two opportunities for you to stay the night with us.
Hever Castle has played host to many important events and celebrations for over 600 years. In 1903 when William Waldorf Astor set about restoring Hever Castle to its former glory, he added the Astor Wing, to accommodate his family and guests, before creating a lake and the spectacular Italian Garden to house his impressive collection of ancient Greek and Roman statuary.
There are multiple places to eat & drink across the Hever Castle Estate. Select between the Castle & Gardens and Golf Club below to discover more.
Set in the mature grounds of the Hever Castle Estate, Hever Castle Golf Club is a 27 hole Kent golf course that will encourage and inspire all golf enthusiasts.
Set in the mature grounds of the Hever Castle Estate, the Wellbeing Centre consists of five smart treatment rooms.
