Charleston

Visit the rural home of artists Vanessa Bell and Duncan Grant which was the gathering point for some of the 20th century’s most radical artist, writers and thinkers. Today you can follow in their footsteps around artist designed house and cottage-planted garden. You can also enjoy thought-provoking exhibitions in our galleries and join us for a variety of events and workshops, including our Festival of the Garden at the start of July with events that focus on horticulture, garden design and ecology. Really make a day of it by visiting our café partners Caccia & Tails for a bite of Italian New York street food including pasta, focaccia and cheesecakes, as well as hot and cold drinks.

Proudly an artist’s garden, the walled garden is a riot of colour. The artist Vanessa Bell and Duncan Grant would choose new annuals from the seed catalogue so they would have something new to paint each summer. In the garden you’ll see hollyhocks, red hot pokers, Iceland poppies and globe thistles.

It’s no surprise that the garden is also full of art. There are sculptures and decorative objects all around – from a cast copy of a 16th century Venus to a levitating lady made by Quentin Bell in the 1970s, small and beautifully tiled pools of water and colourful mosaics.

Today, the wider grounds of Charleston include the walled garden, a vegetable patch, a modest orchard, a paddock and a wooded area.

Please visit in-line with current restrictions, and visit their website before visiting to ensure they are open.