You don’t really need a reason to visit Wakehurst in West Sussex. It’s a beautiful place to spend time at any time of the year but if you love a bit of creativity and art served up with your nature, then it’s the place to head now.
Meadowlands
The Wakehurst summer art programme has become an annual event and in 2024, runs from 14th June to 10th September. Described as a fusion of art, horticulture and landscape, Meadowlands includes four art installations to discover in the grounds as well as a number of different meadows. Head of Landscape and Horticulture, Iain Parkinson, invites you to ask yourself, what meadows mean to you, as you explore these varied, beautiful, important but threatened landscapes.
There are three Must See meadows as part of the trail which include an edible meadow in the walled Mansion Garden but there are meadows aplenty at Wakehurst where you can enjoy wild flowers, wildlife and swaying grasses. Helpful information boards on route tell you more about the importance of meadows and the work that Wakehurst is doing.
The art installations are at times colourful, but all thought provoking and eye catching, and look out for other delights along the way, like the graffiti tree.
Wild Wood
Another trail worth exploring is the sculpture trail in Pearcelands Wood. Here, coppiced hazel has been used to create a natural gallery of hand-woven structures from oversized chairs to native favourites such as deer and badgers.
It’s fun but it’s also clever and rather beautiful and poignant. Pearcelands Wood is a 20-acre ancient woodland.
Planet Wakehurst
If you’ve ever been to Glow Wild, you’ll have seen how the clever folk at Wakehurst illuminate the mansion house. At the moment, they’ve gone a step further as the house is currently home to the UK’s largest outdoor art installation. Whilst the mansion is undergoing an extensive roof restoration, they have commissioned the creation of Planet Wakehurst, a bespoke photo montage from Australian-born artist Catherine Nelson.
It uses photography of plants from across their 535-acre site beamed across the facade in an impressive display! And you can now also do a Canopy Walk and look down on the mansion lawns from 33ft up above. NB: Access to the Canopy Walk will involve a climb of 66 steps over seven flights, with rest areas in between. Children must be supervised. This attraction finishes in August.
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