Winchelsea’s Secret Gardens will be open on Saturday 15th and Sunday 16th June 2024
Saturday 15th from 11am to 5pm for the National Garden Scheme
Sunday 16th from 2pm to 5pm for the Memorial Hospital, Rye
Entry to all the gardens in the group costs £8 on each day – children enter free.
Cash payments at garden gates
Card payments at the Court Hall (Sat) or New Hall (Sun)
For enquiries, contact David Page 01797 226524
Winchelsea is big on gardens and the next major garden opening event comes on the weekend of 15th and 16th June.
On the Saturday, when we open for the National Garden scheme, visitor numbers are usually double the number of residents in the town, and several thousand pounds are raised for the charities the NGS supports; mainly in the field of nursing. The event mobilises large numbers of townspeople, welcoming visitors, baking cakes, serving teas and helping people in and out of the car park – not to mention the creative hard work put in by the gardeners.
Sunday 16th sees the gardens open again as a fundraiser for the Friends of the Memorial Hospital, Rye. This allows the garden team to support a local charity that we all value in addition to the national ones underwritten by the NGS.
Saturday opening times are 11am to 5pm. On Sunday it’s 2pm to 5pm. Admission on both days is £8 with children admitted free. Tickets are on sale at garden gates and card payments can also be made – at the Court Hall on Saturday and the New Hall on Sunday. Signs round the town will make it clear where to go and all the gardens are within easy walking distance of each other. The majority of gardens are wheelchair accessible and this information is marked on the visitor maps that double as admission tickets.
Open gardens wouldn’t be complete without homemade teas, and these will be served at the New Hall on both days. Part of the proceeds from sales on Saturday will go to Friary Gardeners, a local project that supports adults with learning difficulties that started in Winchelsea and is now based at Ore.
