Highlights
- The Millennium Seed Bank, with a public exhibition area
- Himalayan Glade, a steep valley planted with Himalayan and Chinese flora
- Water Gardens, Walled Garden and the Winter Garden
- Loder Valley Nature Reserve of woodland, meadow and wetland
- The Elizabethan mansion, built in 1590
About Wakehurst
Wakehurst grew up around a mansion built in 1590 by Sir Edward Culpeper. The garden as visitors know it began in 1903, when Gerald Loder, later Lord Wakehurst, bought the estate and spent more than three decades planting trees and shrubs from around the world. Sir Henry and Lady Eve Price continued his work and left the estate to the National Trust.
Since 1965 it has been leased and run by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, which describes it as its wild botanic garden. Alongside the planted landscape, the estate is home to the Millennium Seed Bank, opened in 2000, which stores seeds from tens of thousands of plant species worldwide.
What to see
- Millennium Seed Bank: see the building and its exhibition area; atrium tours run on Mondays.
- Himalayan Glade: a deep cleft in the Westwood Valley planted with mountain flora from the Himalaya and China.
- Water Gardens, Walled Garden and Winter Garden: the more formal areas near the mansion.
- Woodland and meadows: the Rhododendron Walk, the American prairie planting and the Loder Valley Nature Reserve.
- National Collections: including birches, hypericum, southern beeches and skimmia.
- The mansion: rooms including the library, billiard room and chapel, with exhibitions.
Planning your visit
Wakehurst is on Selsfield Road near Ardingly, north of Haywards Heath. Tickets can be bought through the Kew website. Parking is free with a garden ticket, but National Trust members pay a parking charge. Dogs are welcome every day on short leads. It is open every day except Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, with seasonal hours.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to visit Wakehurst?
An adult ticket is £18.50, young people aged 17 to 25 pay £9.25 and children aged 16 and under go free. Late entry from 3.30pm is £9.25.
Can I bring my dog to Wakehurst?
Yes. Dogs are welcome every day on a short lead and must stay on the signposted routes, with up to two dogs per adult. There is a fenced off-lead area next to the Millennium Seed Bank.
Is parking free at Wakehurst?
Parking is free for garden ticket holders and Kew members. National Trust members, who enter free, pay for parking: free for up to 45 minutes, £8 for up to 150 minutes and £13.50 for longer.
Can you visit the Millennium Seed Bank?
You can see the building and its exhibition area as part of garden entry, and free volunteer-led atrium tours run on Mondays at 2pm. The laboratories and seed vault are not normally open to the public.