Peasmarsh Place open gardens in June 2009, for St Michael's Hopsice. Picture: Steve HunnisettPeasmarsh Place open gardens in June 2009, for St Michael's Hopsice. Picture: Steve Hunnisett
Peasmarsh Place open gardens in June 2009, for St Michael's Hopsice. Picture: Steve Hunnisett

Exploring glorious gardens linked to Alice in Wonderland

Peasmarsh Place, with its links to Alice in Wonderland, has been popular over the years with visitors, as part of the National Garden Scheme and on summer open days for charity. Looking back about a decade, roses were the highlight in June 2009, while visitors in October 2010 enjoyed all the spectacular autumn colours on show in the extensive grounds.

The care home, near Rye, was built in 1616 on the foundations of the medieval manor house and remained the residence of the Squire until 1866, when the Liddell family from County Durham bought and extended it in Victorian style. It was here that Charles Liddell’s niece, Alice, was first told some of the stories by Lewis Carroll which were later published as Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Set in 10 acres of parkland, the gardens with mown lawns offer fine views over the surrounding countryside. Sadly, 1987 saw the Great Storm destroy 80 per cent of the mature parkland trees but Terence Kearley, Third Viscount, whose house this was at the time, set about creating an arboretum which has gone on to hold more than 2,000 general and two national tree collections.