Homes & Gardens · South of England
Homes & Gardens: the South of England
The closest of the four to London: Kent, Sussex, Surrey, Hampshire, Berkshire, Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire and the Isle of Wight. RHS Wisley, Sissinghurst, Great Dixter and the South Downs are easy day trips, and Petworth, Dorking and Tunbridge Wells are favourite antiques towns.
Updated October 2026
Browse by type
Gardens to Visit 10
Historic estates, plantsmen’s gardens and RHS gardens.
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Borde Hill Garden
A Sussex garden of rare trees and shrubs brought back by plant hunters, with a rose garden of hundreds of varieties.
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Exbury Gardens
Lionel de Rothschild’s New Forest woodland garden, begun in 1919, where his rhododendrons and azaleas blaze in spring.
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Great Dixter
Christopher Lloyd’s garden at Northiam, famous for its daring, exuberant planting around a medieval house.
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Nymans
A Grade II* garden of rare plants, collected over generations, around the romantic shell of a ruined house.
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Parham House and Gardens
An Elizabethan house beneath the South Downs with a four-acre walled garden and pleasure grounds; an RHS partner garden.
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RHS Garden Wisley
The RHS’s flagship garden in Surrey, with something to see in every season.
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Sheffield Park and Garden
A National Trust landscape of lakes and rare trees laid out by Capability Brown, with spectacular autumn colour mirrored in the water.
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Sissinghurst Castle Garden
Vita Sackville-West and Harold Nicolson’s Grade I garden in Kent, best known for the White Garden and its roses; arrive early.
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Wakehurst
Kew’s country garden in the Sussex Weald, home to the Millennium Seed Bank and lovely in spring.
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West Dean Gardens
Restored Victorian glasshouses, a 300-foot pergola and a walled kitchen garden near Chichester.
Countryside 10
National parks, coast and the great walking country.
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Box Hill
The Surrey Hills summit named after its old box woods, with wide views and a steep path up from the River Mole.
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Devil's Dyke
A deep dry valley in the Downs above Brighton, with views across the Weald.
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High Weald National Landscape
Small fields, woods, sunken lanes and ridge-top villages across Surrey, Sussex and Kent.
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Isle of Wight National Landscape
Downs, chines and coast covering around half the Isle of Wight.
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Kingley Vale
A nature reserve near Chichester with a grove of ancient, twisted yew trees.
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New Forest National Park
Heath and ancient woodland grazed by free-roaming ponies; admire them, but don’t feed or touch them.
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Seven Sisters and Birling Gap
The rise and fall of white chalk cliffs west of Beachy Head, on the Sussex Heritage Coast.
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South Downs National Park
England’s newest national park: chalk downland, woods, river valleys and white cliffs across Hampshire and Sussex.
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The North Downs Way
A 153-mile National Trail from Farnham to Dover, by way of the Surrey Hills, Canterbury and the White Cliffs.
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The South Downs Way
A 100-mile National Trail along the top of the Downs from Winchester to Eastbourne, open to walkers, cyclists and riders.
Wildlife & Nature 10
Reserves, wetlands, zoos and wildlife parks.
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British Wildlife Centre
A Surrey park devoted to British animals, from otters and badgers to red squirrels and owls; open weekends and school holidays.
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Drusillas Park
A family zoo near Alfriston with red pandas, sloths, lynx and penguins; closed 24–26 December.
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Hawk Conservancy Trust
A Hampshire charity for birds of prey, with daily flying displays.
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Horniman Butterfly House
A tropical indoor garden of free-flying butterflies at the Horniman Museum in Forest Hill, open all year.
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Howletts and Port Lympne
Two Kent animal parks run by The Aspinall Foundation, focused on rare and endangered species.
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Knepp Wildland
The Sussex rewilding estate where white storks returned to breed in 2020, centuries after they vanished from Britain.
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London Butterfly Gardens
A tropical butterfly house in the grounds of Tudor Hall Place in Bexley, south-east London.
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RSPB Pulborough Brooks
Wet meadows in the Arun valley, full of wildfowl in winter and visited by Knepp’s storks.
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WWT Arundel Wetland Centre
A wetland reserve beneath Arundel Castle for close views of ducks, geese and swans.
Garden Centres 10
Destination garden centres and specialist nurseries.
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Coolings Wych Cross
A family-run garden centre on the edge of Ashdown Forest, from a Kent and Sussex grower dating back to 1913.
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Garsons Esher
Garsons’ Surrey garden centre, shortlisted in the GCA South East awards for 2026.
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Garsons Titchfield
Garsons’ Hampshire garden centre near Fareham, also shortlisted in the 2026 South East awards.
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Haskins Snowhill
A Haskins garden centre near Gatwick, the GCA’s South East Garden Centre of the Year for 2026.
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RHS Garden Wisley Plant Centre
The plant centre at RHS Wisley, for buying the plants you have just seen growing in the garden.
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Ruxley Manor Garden Centre
A family-run garden centre at Sidcup on the London–Kent border, with nursery roots in 1876.
Maidstone Road, Sidcup DA14 5BQExplore View on map
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Squire's Frensham
A Squire’s garden centre near Farnham, with an award-winning food hall.
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Squire's Milford
A Squire’s garden centre near Godalming, part of a family group across Surrey, Sussex, Berkshire and west London.
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The Gardener's Garden Centre (Coolings)
Coolings’ plant-focused centre at Knockholt, which grows most of what it sells on its own nursery.
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The Millbrook Garden Company Staplehurst
A Kent garden centre named the GCA’s South East local centre of the year for 2025.
Interior Shops 9
Independent interiors and homeware shops.
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A G Hendy & Co
Chef Alastair Hendy’s Hastings Old Town shop of new and vintage homeware and hardware, with workshops and suppers.
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Abode
A Brighton interiors shop with a distinctive, eclectic look, trading for around fifteen years.
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Blossom Home
An independent on Tenterden High Street for prints and decorative pieces.
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Dyke & Dean
A Hastings shop mixing classic housewares with work by independent designers.
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French Loft
A dealer in French furniture and decorative pieces, with a warehouse in Arundel and a stand at Petworth.
Fitzalan Road, Arundel; East Street, PetworthExplore View on map
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Rae
A Rye shop of rustic vintage homeware from Britain and Europe, with work by independent makers.
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Reste
A Hastings shop of handmade household goods and modern accessories from around the world.
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The Hambledon
A Winchester townhouse shop, like a small department store, for homeware, fashion, beauty and stationery.
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Wattle and Daub
Ceramics, textiles, furniture and vintage pieces in a Tudor building in Godalming.
Paint Suppliers 10
Paint showrooms and stockists.
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Brewers Guildford
A Guildford decorator centre and Farrow & Ball Premium Stockist.
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Brewers Herne Bay
A Herne Bay decorator centre with a broad choice of leading paint brands, Farrow & Ball included.
Unit 3, The Boulevard, Altira Trade Park, Herne Bay CT6 6FWExplore View on map
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Farrow & Ball Beaconsfield
Farrow & Ball’s Buckinghamshire showroom on London End, Beaconsfield.
39 London End, Beaconsfield HP9 2HWExplore View on map
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Farrow & Ball Esher
Farrow & Ball’s showroom on Esher High Street, open every day.
15 High Street, Esher KT10 9RLExplore View on map
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Farrow & Ball Guildford
Farrow & Ball’s Guildford showroom on Tunsgate, for colour cards, sample pots and advice.
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Farrow & Ball Hove
Farrow & Ball’s showroom on Western Road, serving Brighton and Hove.
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Farrow & Ball Oxford
Farrow & Ball’s showroom in Summertown, north Oxford.
225 Banbury Road, Oxford OX2 7HSExplore View on map
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Farrow & Ball Tunbridge Wells
Farrow & Ball’s Tunbridge Wells showroom on the High Street, near the Pantiles.
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Farrow & Ball Winchester
Farrow & Ball’s showroom on The Square in Winchester, by the cathedral, open every day.
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Neptune Chichester
Neptune’s Chichester store, where staff help plan paint colours for a whole house; parking on site.
Curtains & Blinds 9
Curtain makers, blind specialists and fabric shops.
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Allure Blinds
A Chertsey blind company covering Surrey, Berkshire and west London.
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Closs & Hamblin
Curtains and blinds made to measure by local makers, with showrooms in Brighton, Chichester and Winchester and home consultations.
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Curtain Creation
A family firm, since 1988, making curtains and blinds by hand, with home visits across Surrey and Kent.
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Mill House Designs Kent
A workroom near Ashford making curtains and blinds by hand since 1988, for Kent and East Sussex.
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Mitchell's Fabrics
Two Surrey shops, in Haslemere and Milford, designing and making curtains, blinds and soft furnishings.
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Pleats Soft Furnishings
A Bicester workroom making curtains and blinds to order for Oxford and the surrounding area.
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Sofas & Stuff Fittleworth
The West Sussex flagship of upholstery maker Sofas & Stuff, with its fabric collections.
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Surrey Blinds and Shutters
A Farnham showroom of blinds, shutters and fabrics, fitted by the firm’s own team.
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Zoe Rourke Interiors
A Hove curtain maker visiting homes in Sussex, Surrey and south-west London.
Kitchen Design 10
Kitchen makers and design studios.
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David Haugh Kitchens
A Tunbridge Wells kitchen maker with its own workshop, working across Kent, Surrey and Sussex.
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Harvey Jones
Harvey Jones’s Hove showroom for Shaker-style and contemporary Linear kitchens.
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Harvey Jones Bicester Village
Harvey Jones’s biggest kitchen showroom, at Bicester Village.
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Martin Moore
Hand-made kitchens from Martin Moore’s own workshops, with showrooms in Esher and Tunbridge Wells.
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Neptune
Neptune kitchens and furniture in Guildford, Winchester and Chichester; Winchester was the brand’s first shop.
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Tom Howley
Tom Howley showrooms in Tunbridge Wells and Guildford, with design help from the first sketch onwards.
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Tom Howley Beaconsfield
Tom Howley’s Beaconsfield showroom of hand-made kitchens.
Home Comforts 10
Bedding, linen, tableware and the things that make a home.
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HomeSense Aylesbury
HomeSense at Broadfields Retail Park, Aylesbury, for branded homeware at reduced prices.
Unit 4B, Broadfields Retail Park, Bicester RoadExplore View on map
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HomeSense Brighton
HomeSense in central Brighton for branded homeware at reduced prices, with stock that changes all the time.
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HomeSense Hedge End
HomeSense at Hedge End Retail Park near Southampton, with parking on site.
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HomeSense Horsham
HomeSense in the centre of Horsham, for bedding, lighting and tableware.
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HomeSense Tunbridge Wells
A large HomeSense at Fountains Retail Park, open into the evening most days.
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HomeSense Westwood Cross
A HomeSense inside the TK Maxx store at Westwood Cross in Thanet.
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No 77
A Faversham shop on Preston Street full of homeware and carefully chosen pieces.
Antique Shops 10
Antiques centres, dealers and fairs.
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Antiques at The George
Antiques over several floors of an old coaching inn in Burford, since 1992, open every day.
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Ardingly International Antiques & Collectors Fair
A big two-day antiques fair at the Ardingly showground, held several times a year; next on 3 and 4 November 2026.
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Farnham Maltings Antiques Market
A long-running monthly antiques market at the Farnham Maltings.
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Hungerford Arcade
A family-run arcade of over 100 dealers in Hungerford, trading since 1972, with a tearoom.
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Petworth Antiques Market
More than 35 dealers under one roof in Petworth, the antiques town of the South, from silver to furniture and vintage clothes.
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Pilgrim's Antiques Centre
A packed antiques and collectables centre on West Street, the heart of Dorking’s antiques quarter.
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Talbot House Antiques Centre
Over ten rooms of furniture, glass and pictures on West Street, Dorking.
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The Pantiles Antiques Market
More than 40 dealers in the Georgian Pantiles at Tunbridge Wells, with valuations on offer.
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Tudor Rose Antiques & Interiors
Ten dealers in a former alehouse in Petworth, near the antiques market.
Every place was checked against an official or published source in October 2026. Opening days and hours change with the seasons, so check before you travel; many gardens close or open fewer days in winter.
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