Frances Hodgson Burnett

The Secret Garden

Who hasn’t dreamt of finding a secret place, all your own, where grown-ups never come? In The Secret Garden the spoilt orphan Mary does just that. Sent to her uncle’s house in Yorkshire she finds a hidden doorway…

Frances Hodgson Burnett based the story on her own beloved home in Rolvenden, Kent. You can visit the gardens of Great Maytham Hall (visits strictly by appointment only*) and explore the Rose Garden (the model for the secret garden) within its mellow walls. Burnett found it unkempt and wild, strewn with weeds and thorns, just as Mary Lennox does (“the sweetest, most mysterious place anyone could imagine”) and brought it back to life. You’ll enter through a new Lutyens-designed gateway and see the outline of the original still visible on the west wall. In the garden is the gazebo where Burnett used to write and no doubt the robins that she loved (and used to entice Mary into the garden) flutter there still.

In the book, Misselthwaite Manor is located in Yorkshire and the 1993 film was shot there. Fountains Hall (part of the fabulous Fountains Abbey complex which is open every day) was used as the exterior of the Manor and has an intriguing history which includes the Blue Lady ghost. Allerton Castle (visits strictly by appointment only) modelled the interior of the Manor – this Gothic Revival masterpiece is also the legendary home of the “Grand Old Duke of York”.

*To book a tour of The Secret Garden:

• T: 01580 241346

• E: gmh@greatmaythamhall.co.uk

• visits to the garden are strictly by appointment only, booked in advance

• visitors are limited to individuals and small groups only, not coach tours

• the number of visitors admitted each year is limited

• visitors will be shown round on a guided tour only, no independent access

• there is a small charge of £5 per visitor