Doddington Place

About this place

Doddington Place stands within an 850-acre estate on the edge of Doddington village near Faversham, Kent.

Ten acres of gardens surround the Victorian mansion, set on the North Downs in an area of outstanding natural beauty.

A large Edwardian rock garden with pools and a woodland garden thick with rhododendrons and azaleas are among the highlights, alongside a formal sunk garden and a flint and brick folly.

The gardens have opened annually for the National Gardens Scheme for more than fifty years.

History

The mansion at the centre of the estate dates from the Victorian period, with much of the surrounding garden laid out in the Edwardian years that followed, including the rock garden and its pools. English Heritage has recognised the gardens for their historical importance. The estate itself extends to around 850 acres, of which the ornamental gardens form a ten-acre core.

Architecture

The house is an imposing Victorian mansion, and the grounds include a flint and brick folly along with clipped yew hedges that frame the lawns and avenues.

Gardens & grounds

The ten-acre gardens include a woodland garden at its best in May and June, an Edwardian rock garden never artificially watered, and a formal sunk garden with herbaceous borders.