Visiting Emmetts Garden: What to See & Do
Emmetts Garden is a beautiful 5 acre garden designed and planted between 1893-1895 by banker Frederic Lubbock in an Edwardian style. The gardens include woodland with bluebells, rose garden, wild meadows, a rock garden, ornamental hedges, and an amazing views over the Weald of Kent.
My favourite things about Emmetts Garden
It’s one of the gardens in Kent, I like to visit several times a year. I really like the spring flower display with carpets of bluebells in the woodland just bellow the main garden. In the summer, it’s lovely to sit in the more formal rose garden or read a book under the tree in the meadow garden.
There are also summer concerts in the main meadow and you can get a freshly baked pizza from the mobile pizza van. And of course, there is a lovely tearoom with a great views across the Kent countryside.
I’ve also enjoyed the walks outside the garden. If you leave your car at home, you can walk from nearby Chartwell through the beautiful woods, visit Emmetts and then carry on walking towards Ide Hill or to Toys Hill. Part of the woodlands are also looked after by the National Trust and they are truly magical.
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What to see at Emmetts Garden
Emmetts Garden is divided into several distinct areas, each with its own character and planting style. The main sections include the formal South Garden, the Rose Garden, the Rock Garden, the Wild Flower Meadow, the North Garden, and extensive woodland areas.
South Garden:
This is the most formal part of Emmetts, with neatly clipped lawns, colourful seasonal flower beds, and a striking display of spring bulbs such as tulips and daffodils. Here you’ll also find the handkerchief tree, acers, and rare conifers.
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Rose Garden:
This part of garden is lovely to sit in, especially when the roses are flowering. There are lots of different rose varieties with lavender and herbaceous perennials around them.
Rock Garden:
The Rock Garden has alpine plants, heathers, and dwarf conifers, as well as a small pond surrounded by more colourful planting. The colours in the rock garden are lovely any time of the year.
Wild Flower Meadow:
In late spring and summer, this meadow is filled with native wildflowers and grasses, attracting butterflies and bees.
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Woodland:
The woodland areas are especially spectacular in spring, because this area is full of bluebells. You’ll also find rhododendrons, azaleas, magnolias, and camellias, as well as mature trees and a selection of unusual and exotic shrubs here.
North Garden:
This area is more informal, with sweeping views across the Weald of Kent, mixed borders, shrubs, and specimen trees.
History of Emmetts House & Garden
Emmetts House was built around 1860, originally as a private country home. In 1893, Frederic Lubbock, a banker and passionate gardener, bought Emmetts. He spent many years designing and planting the gardens, collecting rare and exotic plants from around the world. Frederic’s love for plants helped shape Emmetts into the beautiful garden we see today.
After Frederic Lubbock died in 1927, Emmetts was bought by Charles Boise, an American geologist, who made some changes and improvements to the estate. In 1964, Charles’s wife, Mrs. Boise, gave Emmetts Garden to the National Trust, so everyone could enjoy it. Since then, the National Trust has looked after the gardens.
You can see the original house that the gardens used to belong to through the hedges from the rose garden with the water feature. The house is completely private and not open to public, but when you visit the tea room, you’ll realise that these are the stables for the original house.
Practical Information for visiting
- Location: Sevenoaks, Kent TN14 6BA
Tickets
- Adults: £13.00
- Children (ages 5–17): £6.50
- Family ticket: £32.50
- Under 5s: Free
- National Trust members: Free
Opening Times
Open all year round – daily from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm, with last entry at 4:30 pm. The gardens are closed on 24 and 25 December.
Parking
There is free on site parking, including large overflow car park. On occasions, when the car park is busy, you might be asked to park in a nearby village car park or the National Trust car park at Toys Hill (will need to walk through the woods to the garden – about 1 mile). I find that the gardens are less busy in the afternoon, so if you are a member, so try to arrive after lunch.
Facilities
The Old Stables Tearoom is on the top of the hill and the cafe serves hot and cold drinks, homemade cakes, and light lunches. In the summer, there is also an ice-cream stall outside. It can get a bit crowded inside, but there is more seating outside or you can sit on the grass.
Sometimes, there is also a pizza van at the lower meadow and they have really good wood-fired pizzas. In the summer there is also another National Trust cafe van for tea, coffee and snacks.
The toilets are next to the tearoom (so all the way up the hill) and there is also a gift shop with plants, second hand book shelfs. There are accessible paths for wheelchairs and buggies. Dogs on short leads are welcome in most areas of the gardens.
There’s a dedicated children’s play area with wooden climbing frames, balance beams, and swings, designed to blend in with the natural surroundings.
The Discover Cabin (half-way up the hill) often has interactive exhibits, seasonal craft activities, and nature-themed games for kids.
Throughout the year, Emmetts Garden runs special trails and scavenger hunts, especially during school holidays, encouraging children to explore and learn about nature.
How to get to Emmetts Gardens
By Public Transport:
You can reach Emmetts Garden from London by train and bus:
- Take a train from London Charing Cross or London Bridge to Sevenoaks station (about 30–40 minutes).
- From Sevenoaks station, take the Go Coach bus 401 or 402 to Ide Hill or Westerham. The nearest bus stop is “The Chart, Toys Hill,” which is about a 12-minute walk from Emmetts Garden
- Alternatively, you can take a taxi from Sevenoaks station to Emmetts Garden (about 15 minutes by car).
By Car:
- From the M25, take exit 5 and follow the A21 south towards Sevenoaks/Hastings.
- Take the A25 west towards Westerham, then follow signs for Ide Hill and Emmetts Garden. The roads can be quite narrow in places, so be careful.
What can you see nearby
Ide Hill Village: Just a mile away and a lovely walk through the woodland and fields, this picturesque village has a traditional green, a historic church, and the popular Ide Hill Community Shop & Café.
Chartwell: About 2 miles from Emmetts either by foot through a woodland or by narrow country lanes, Chartwell was the family home of Sir Winston Churchill and is now a National Trust property with beautiful gardens, woodland walks, and Churchill’s art studio.
Toys Hill: Less than 1 mile away following a woodland walk, Toys Hill is a scenic National Trust woodland, with walking trails and panoramic views over the Weald of Kent.
This blog post was originally published on 24 April 2025 and last updated on 24 April 2025
