Our exhibitions at Sissinghurst Castle Garden

The Tower in Winter at Sissinghurst Castle Garden

Take a look at some of our history in our changing tower exhibitions this winter. Visit in November to learn about the poetry which inspired Vita and Harold, then in December, hear about life above and below stairs in our winter stories trail.

Poetry trail

1 - 30 November

Vita Sackville-West (1892-1962) will be chiefly remembered for her association with Sissinghurst, but her writings, novels, travel books and her poems all in their time had considerable impact.  It was for the twenty years after they took ownership of Sissinghurst in 1930 that she and her husband Harold Nicolson concentrated on making it the place dedicated to beauty that we see today.  The fact that we may still read almost all her books, for most are still in print, is a remarkable testament to an extraordinary talent. 

They had both been in the habit for many years of marking passages which particularly pleased them, and of scribbling an index for reference at the end of each book. This month we walk through the poetry that inspired them both and see a small part of the lifetime literary tastes of the two people who shaped Sissinghurst Castle Garden.

The library at Sissinghurst in the 1940s
The library at Sissinghurst in the 1940s
The library at Sissinghurst in the 1940s

Winter stories trail

1 December  - 3 January

Life above and below stairs at Sissinghurst  was full of colourful characters, each with a story to tell, thier stories come to life this winter with a new trail. Discover how Christmas was celebrated in the Nicolson household and what unusual items were on the present lists too. 

Hear the story of George Allard, a teenage farm hand here at Sissinghurst in the 1950's as you learn a little more about the buildings and places that you see today.