About

a bygone era

Birling Manor was built in the 1830s by the Hon. Rev. William Nevill, later the 4th Earl of Abergavenny. There were 4 acres made over to orchard, kitchen garden and greenhouses; heated by coke boilers and used for the cultivation of peaches, apricots, melons and grapes and the propagation of exotic house plants that adorned many of the rooms in the house. The stream used to supply the watercress beds and the fountain was fed from a spring nearly a mile away.

In 1872, the Hon. Ralph Nevill and his wife Louisa came to live at the Manor.

The new squire was Master of the West Kent Hunt for 30 years and during this time the newspapers often featured the balls and the champagne breakfasts they held.

Early in the morning of the 17th January 1917 fire broke out and the Manor was almost totally demolished – bringing to an end what was once a central part of village life. The house was finally pulled down in the 1940’s and the gardens left to nature.

Recapturing the old magic

In 2012, we began the long process of restoring the gardens and arboretum to their former glory. Eventually we hope to get all of the original woodland walks back and restore the walled garden to production. All of the income from events goes towards this work.

We’ve been working hard at clearing, discovering and replanting over the last few years and now feel happy to open it up. Please do come and be part of the evolving story. To protect the natural beauty of the gardens though, we only offer a small number of events per year.

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Create your perfect day set in the gardens of a bygone era, carefully restored to create an enchanting backdrop for your wedding celebration. In this gorgeous secluded natural setting, with its wonderful heritage, magical ancient trees and glimpsed views up to the North Downs, we like to recapture some of the old magic of the place and allow you to create some stories of your own.

About The Manor Gardens

Birling Manor was built in the 1830s by the Hon. Rev. William Nevill, later the 4th Earl of Abergavenny.

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Venue

Exclusive access to the ground for up to 5 days and a free reign to use which ever suppliers you choose.

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Prices

Hire the gardens and you’re free to choose your own suppliers.

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@themanorgardensbirling