Michelham Priory House & Gardens, Hailsham

Overview

Explore the gardens of Michelham Priory A turn around the gardens at Michelham Priory is a further education in the history of this beautiful site, such is the care that has been taken to ensure many plantings are authentic and true to a medieval garden. Expect plenty of fruit, vegetables and herbs as these would have been essential daily ingredients for the priory's original inhabitants. The rows of apple and pear trees underplanted with wild daffodils make a dreamy, contemplative sight and there are rarer items growing such as medlars, mulberries, quince, walnuts and sweet chestnuts. Take a stroll around the seven acre garden island which is encompassed by the longest wet moat in England and which now provides a home to a great deal of wildlife. Look out too for varieties of magnolias, the deciduous conifer swamp cypress and a fabulous array of herbs in the physic garden. In the Cloister Garden, built on the site of the original cloisters, there are four raised beds, two of which are dedicated to medieval pleasure gardening (wonderful red gallica roses, Madonna Lillies and Columbines), and two to herbs and vegetables. These are surrounded by pretty wild flower lawns. There is also some contemporary planting in the gardens providing colour and interest throughout the year.