Award winning Groombridge Place Gardens, near Tunbridge Wells, is opening for an action-packed season on March 27th with new family attractions, brand new events and thousands of new plants in the formal gardens.

The family attraction, which was voted one of the best in a worldwide poll, is an intriguing mix of 17th century formal gardens and the mystical Enchanted Forest, with plenty to keep visitors of all ages occupied for hours.

This year masses of special activities will take place in the Enchanted Forest during the school holidays and half terms. Children can make their own dream catchers in the Romany Camp – pretty keep-safes decorated with beads and feathers that ward off nightmares when hung over a child’s bed – and have their faces decorated with paint and glitter to transform them into butterflies, fairies or something scary.

In the tepee visitors can learn how to play a traditional African djembe, a drum covered in animal skin, and accompany the beat with wooden percussion instruments.

Over 5,000 spring bulbs have been planted in the walled formal gardens to provide a carpet of cheerful blooms. The Nut Walk has been redesigned with plants to attract butterflies and bees, there are new roses and lilies in the White Rose Garden and the gardeners have been busy throughout the gardens putting in flowers to provide scent and colour all year.

There are some brand new events this year to add to the popular programme. ‘Smugglers Sunday’ (16th May) will feature the action-packed adventures of the infamous Groombridge Gang reputed to have stored silk, tea and brandy in the cellars of the house; ‘Fairy Fables and Crusoe Tales’ (12th and 13th June) will be a weekend of magic, mystery and desert island life, and ‘Superheroes and Fairies’ (25th and 26th September) will be two days of fun with your favourite characters and fairy magic.

“Each year we like to have something new to offer our visitors”, said Jill Todd of Groombridge Place. “And as well as introducing new special events and investing in the formal gardens we have also refurbished and upgraded the visitor amenities, including the restaurant and the cloakrooms.”

All the usual attractions will be open, including the challenging aerial walkway and obstacle course in the Enchanted Forest; Romany Camp; hilltop fort; giant swings; adventure play areas; canal boat rides; ‘rain forest’ gorge with tree ferns, palms and banana plants and quirky woodland gardens. Birds of prey flying displays will take place each day except Mondays (excluding bank holidays Mondays), when there will be a static display of the birds.

The sheltered formal gardens were designed in the 17th century by John Evelyn as a series of ‘rooms’ and they are still laid out in the same style today. Each garden has its own style and colour scheme, ranging from the vibrant hot colours of the Oriental Garden to the cool whites of the White Rose Garden and the multi-coloured majesty of the spectacular herbaceous borders.

There is a well stocked gift shop selling a wide range of gifts to suit all pockets, and freshly prepared meals and snacks are available in the restaurant throughout the day.

The gardens have inspired numerous artists, writers and film makers. The Drunken Garden, with its crazy topiary, was a favourite with Sir Arthur Conan-Doyle who used it as the setting for his Sherlock Holmes mystery ‘The Valley of Fear’; the house and garden was the setting for Peter Greenaway’s cult film ‘The Draughtsman’s Contract’ and it featured as Longbourn, the Bennet’s house in the recent ‘Pride and Prejudice’ film with Keira Knightley.

The gardens and forest will be open daily from 27th March to 6th November between 10am and 5.30pm. For more information visit groombridge.co.uk or call 01892 861444.