Ashurst West Sussex hotels:

The origins of St. Mary's go back to the days of the Knights Templar when five acres of land in the downland village of Bramber were given to them by the widow of Philip de Braose, following his death in 1125. The present building was constructed in about 1470 by William of Waynflete, Bishop of Winchester and founder of Magdalen College, Oxford, as an inn for pilgrims on their way to the tomb of St. Thomas of Canterbury. A large topiary snail guards the entrance to the car-park. Visitors approach the house along a pleached lime-walk and pass through a wicket-gate set in a zig-zag hedge of yew, which suggests the old idea of a maze. Here can be seen a variety of box and yew shrubs trimmed into shapes of amusing animals and birds, some forming part of a 'topiary theatre'. In the summer months, colouful parterres and a brilliant display of hollyhocks complete the picturesque scene, painted by many artists. Hidden behind the high 'rampart' hedge of yew, and glimpsed through a wide stone arch, is the Terrace Garden, with its herbaceous borders and rose-beds. A mysterious ivy-clad pergola known as the 'Monks' Walk' can be entered through a tunnel of yew. This garden is occasionally used for open-air performances and private functions. Crossing a wooden bridge, visitors immediately see the massive 140 ft fruit wall, which borders the original Victorian vegetable garden with its potting shed, now our Rural Museum. A door in the wall leads to the former heated 'pineapple' pits and herbaceous borders. On guided tours, visitors can wander through the Jubilee Rose Garden and the Terracotta Garden to the rare Victorian Circular Orchard and Woodland Walk.