Wakehurst

Wakehurst is a late 16th-century mansion with 20th-century gardens near Ardingly in West Sussex. Owned by the National Trust but run by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, it sits in the High Weald and covers nearly two square kilometres. The site includes walled gardens, woodlands, and wetland conservation areas. A modern building houses Kew’s Millennium Seed Bank. Visitors can explore the mansion, gardens, and seed bank. The gardens hold national collections of birches, Hypericum, Southern Hemisphere beeches, and Skimmia. After the Great Storm of 1987 destroyed 20,000 trees, Kew redesigned the gardens to showcase temperate woodlands from around the world. The Millennium Seed Bank aims to store seeds from 25% of the world’s flora, with nearly 40,000 species already preserved. Nearby reserves include the Loder Valley and Francis Rose Nature Reserves, dedicated to mosses, lichens, and ferns. A giant redwood Christmas tree, standing 35 metres tall, is lit with energy-saving lights each winter. The estate has appeared in films and television, including Kenneth Branagh’s 2006 adaptation of *As You Like It*. The gardens also host episodes of *Gardeners’ World*. The mansion itself is closed for renovation, but the gardens and seed bank remain open.