Capel Manor College

"Amazing gardens, welcoming cafe. Ideal for wheelchairs and people who love outdoor living!"

"A hidden gem of a place for a relaxed wander and nice as you can take your dog round on a lead. The venue has multiple areas to wander round and visit different styles of gardens and planted areas. Unfortunately the plants have been affected buy the extended dry spell and were not all at their best. They also have some of the old Chelsea flower show gardens but some have not travelled well and do not reflect the original displays well. Many of the water features were not running and the koi pond was densely covered in green weed. Some areas are in need of attention and the holly maze was shut as it's clearly not been maintained in a suitable condition for visitors. They have a number of green houses that you can look in and see an array of plants. The have a small 'zoo' this area we did not visit as we had the dog with us. We understood this to be one of multiple venues for education into various aspects of horticulture this can be seen in some areas where varieties of plants are being grown and studied. The venue has an indoor and outdoor eating area with a variety of meals and drinks at good prices if you want lunch, the food is more college / school style rather than restaurant but don't be put off the two meals we had were nice. The car park is very large and parking is easy. They do run events at the site like classic car and other things. Entry prices are reasonable and there are concession rates available. There is a small gift shop and plant shop near the entry point."

"The gardens are amazing, such a surprise. My wife and I visited just after the July 22 heat wave, and during college holiday period, which may well explained the need for a little tidying up. But that said if I were in the area again I'd visit again. The range of garden designs and the range of plants is brilliant."

"Lovely place to walk round the gardens and see lots of different types of garden and get ideas for what to do with your own. Looks like a good place for young children to explore and they allow dogs on a lead. Nice little cafe with outside seating. Would recommend."

"The classic car show today was really well organised and felt perfectly safe. Congratulations to all involved in staging this event in such difficult circumstances. It was nice to do something 'normal' for a change! Photo is my Morgan 4/4 parked alongside my mate David's superb Datsun 260Z."