Leonardslee Lakes & Gardens

The historic 200 acre Lakes and Garden estate at Leonardslee, Lower Beeding near Horsham in West Sussex, will open in 2018 to the public. The owners are completing the restoration and upgrade the finest woodland gardens in England'. The site was first planted in 1801 and is noted for the outstanding displays of its rock garden as well as rhododendrons, azaleas, camellias, magnolias and spring flowers. Visitors can see the unique doll’s house exhibition, depicting the Edwardian estate and neighbouring villages at 1/12th scale, and also a rare colony of wallabies that have grazed in the gardens for over a century. Leonardslee features a 19th-century Italianate style house, listed Grade II for architectural merit. The gardens are listed Grade I on the Register of Historic Parks and Gardens. They cover 200 acres of a steep sandstone valley, in which there are a series of seven man-made ponds. The site includes two alpine glasshouses, in need of refurbishment. A rock garden near the house was built in 1890 by the well-known Victorian landscaping company James Pulham and Son.