Homes & Gardens (Pretend Family Days Out)

This is a selection of the Homes and Gardens of queer interest that are open to the public in East and West Sussex. Please consult your local tourist information office for exact opening times.

CharlestonCharleston

Home of Duncan Grant and Vanessa Bell. Off the A27, near Firle in East Sussex. Bloomsbury Group artists Grant and Bell moved to this farmhouse in 1916, along with Bell's two children and Grant's lover at the time, writer David 'Bunny' Garnett. A mecca for the talent of it's time, visitors included Maynard Keynes, Carrington and Strachey, TS Eliot, EM Forster, Benjamin Britten, Ethel Smyth, the list is endless. Over the years that followed, Grant and Bell decorated by hand almost every available surface inside the house in their own unique style, as well as the interior of nearby Berwick Church. Their charming garden is also open to visitors. Completely unmissable!

Lamb House

Home of Henry James as well as AC and EF Benson. West Street, Rye in East Sussex. American born novelist James lived in this house from 1896 to 1914, writing many of his best fictions here. He also entertained his close chum Hugh Walpole here. In 1919 the Benson brothers moved in. EF Benson, who later became mayor of Rye, is probably best remembered today for his Mapp and Lucia books, the camp classics set in Tilling (Rye). The Bensons appear in the stained glass of nearby Rye church.

Statue in garden of Monk's HouseMonk's House

(Home of Virginia and Leonard Woolf). Near Rodmell Church, Rodmell near Lewes in East Sussex. Probably the most famous member of the Bloomsbury Group, Virginia is celebrated today for her innovative poetic novels. Works such as Mrs Dalloway and To The Lighthouse were written here, as well as Orlando, inspired by her love affair with Vita Sackville-West. This house was also hand decorated by the Bloomsbury artists, there's even the occasional bust in the small garden.

Nyman's GardensNyman's Gardens

Family home of Oliver Messel) Off the B2114, near Handcross in West Sussex. The garden was built up by Ludwig, Oliver's grandfather, and became home to Oliver's family after his death. An influential stage, set and costume designer, Oliver was later given a cottage in the grounds for his own private use. Although he emigrated to Barbados with his partner Vagn Riis-Hansen in the mid-1960s, his ashes were eventually buried under a Greek urn in the rose garden.

Tree Hugging Hippie again?West Dean Gardens

Family home of Edward James) Off the A286, near Chichester in West Sussex. James was a poet as well as a collector of Surrealist art, and turned Monkton House (no access) on the West Dean estate into a Surrealist dream home. He lived here up until the mid-1940s before spending years building eccentric follies in the Mexican jungle, and travelling around with handsome Mexican companions. He was buried in the arboretum at West Dean in 1984, and is guarded by a stone muse. Incidentally, before his death he sold his 'Mae West Lips' sofa to Brighton Museum, Church Street, where it remains on display.

Now remember, Enjoy yourselves!

Comments or gardening tips: A.Leflohic@bton.ac.uk