Godinton House and Gardens, Ashford, Kent, UK...

Godinton is a lovely brick manor with roots dating back to the 14th century. Godinton was for centuries the home of the Toke family, and much of the present house owes its form to work undertaken by Captain Nicholas Toke beginning in 1620.

The first house at Godinton may have been built around 1165. This date is shown on a stained glass window in the hall. The house was restored in 1448, around the time the Toke family came into possession of Godinton. In 1620-28 Nicholas Toke extended the medieval building to create an L-shaped manor house clad in red brick, with a symmetrical front facade in Dutch style.

The gardens were designed by Blomfield in 1895 and are his first major garden commission. The result is primarily an Arts and Crafts layout, with separate garden roms on varying colour schemes. From the formal gardens you can look out onto the 18th century parkland beyon. Though the formality of the late Victorian design has been softened over time, the essentials remain, including formal yew hedges and topiary, water features and wide lawns, balanced by a wild garden, a walled garden still with its original greenhouses, a delphinium collection, rose garen, Italianate garden, and a profusion of daffodils in early Spring.

Godinton is one of the best-kept secrets in Kent, and deserves much greater attention. The gardens are among the finest in southern England, and the setting beside the lovely Jacobean mansion is wonderful.

Garden: Lovely formal and informal gardens surrounding a Jacobean manor. There is much variety here, including an 18th century walled garden, Italianate garden, formal topiary, and a wild garden. Best in: Spring, for daffodils and wildflowers in the Wild Garden.