Riverhill Himalayan Gardens

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Riverhill Himalayan Gardens are set in the grounds of Riverhill House, a Grade II listed Queen Anne manor house located on the southern edge of Sevenoaks in Kent, England. Riverhill is well known for its stunning and historic gardens as well as its sweeping vistas over the Weald of Kent. The estate has been the residence of the Rogers family since 1840 who currently operate the gardens as a tourist attraction, along with the house and associated facilities as a wedding venue. Visitors can enjoy a walled garden, rose walk and maze as well as other attractions. There is also an excellent trail around the grounds culminating in a view from the top of the hill over the estate. Riverhill Himalayan Gardens, as a supporter of the Surrey Sculpture Society, regularly showcases a selection of sculptures and art pieces throughout its grounds. All are available for purchase if you have deep pockets.

I had the pleasure of visiting Riverhill Himalayan Gardens earlier today. The entrance fee is £14 which strikes me as reasonable in today’s tourism market. However, all discussions regarding prices and value are highly subjective. On arrival myself and Mrs P decided to tackle the trail to the viewpoint at the top of the hill in which the gardens are set. The track proved quite challenging due to its gradient and the heat (it was 29°C/84.2°F). It is essential to have appropriate footwear as the paths are mainly earth and loose stone. However, the effort was worth it as the summit is in a clearing, affording a view over the estate and the Weald of Kent towards Tonbridge, Ashdown Forest and Hadlow. We then made are way down to the maze and attempted to find the cupola in the centre. Sadly we failed to solve the maze and due to the hot weather, decided to seek some shade in the walled garden.

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The walled garden and the surrounding grass area are home to various sculptures made by local artists. They encompass an eclectic variety of styles and reflect different schools of art. However the one thing they have it common is that they all provide a great talking point. Adjacent to the walled gardens it the Rose Walk, with a fine selection of well tended bushes. The walled garden features immaculately terraced lawns and has a contemporary water feature at the centre, created by British sculptor Julian Wild. There are roses, alliums and peonies as well as herbaceous borders and dalias. It is all very colourful and for those with functioning olfactory senses (I lost mine after catching COVID), very fragrant. There is seating available around the walled garden, some of which is in the shade. So you can sit, relax and contemplate the nature of reality or whatever takes your fancy. The ambient sound of the water feature adds greatly to the atmosphere.

Riverhill Himalayan Gardens has several areas specific to young children, such as the adventure play area and the den building trail. Both are well maintained and sensibly away from quieter areas such as the walled garden. On weekends there is a Yeti spotting event in this area (and whoever has to wear the Yeti suit has my sympathy in the current heatwave). Naturally, there is a garden shop and a rather good cafe run by a local company, Malabar. It has an outstanding orange drizzle cake. The grounds and services are very well maintained and the staff are friendly and knowledgeable. Hence, Riverhill Himalayan Gardens makes for an excellent day out, providing a modest but challenging hillside walk, an enjoyable maze and some excellent ornamental gardens for those of a horticultural bent. It is also a great place for those visitors that just want to slowly amble and chill out. Furthermore, the grounds are dog friendly which is another plus point.