Every secret garden has a story.
Join award-winning author and poet Dr Kate Forsyth on a
9-day reading retreat and literary pilgrimage through the
secret gardens of southeast England.
Reading and gardening are two of the greatest pleasures of my life, and so whenever I travel I like to compile a list of destination-themed books to read and beautiful gardens to explore. I especially love it when I can make a pilgrimage to the house and garden of an author whose work I greatly admire. I feel so connected to that author, treading where they once trod, and discovering how the landscape in which they lived shaped and enriched their writing. Not only do I re-read my favourite of their books, I also read books about them, which deepens my experience immeasurably.
Whenever I speak or write about my literary pilgrimages, people eagerly tell me they wish they could come with me. So I began to think about developing a tour which combines these two great loves of mine. I drew up lists, and consulted maps, and read books about literary gardens and landscapes, and imagined hosting literary salons where a group of like-minded people passionately discussed the lives and works of great writers. My list of possible gardens to visit grew so long, I could have done nothing else for a year. Which would be a lovely way to spend 365 days, but not altogether practical.
So, after a great deal of thought and planning, I reduced my grand vision down to nine days and close on a dozen gardens. I knew I wanted my itinerary to include Sissinghurst, where Vita Sackville-West created one of the most famous gardens in the world, Virginia Woolf’s home where she composed her brilliant essay, A Room of One’s Own, and Great Maytham Hall, which inspired Frances Hodgson Burnett to write one of my all-time favourite children’s books, The Secret Garden. And of course we had to visit Jane Austen’s House in Chawton! Since these glorious literary gardens are all located in the south-east of England, I conceived the idea of following the old pilgrims’ way from Canterbury to Winchester, which people in search of enlightenment and wisdom have walked for more than 800 years.
So come and join me for a travelling bookclub where we read works by and about such famous writers as Jane Austen, Charles Dickens, and Henry James, while discovering the landscapes that inspired them!
Kate Forsyth
About Secret Gardens of Southeast England
Join award-winning author and poet Dr Kate Forsyth on a literary pilgrimage through the enchanting secret gardens of Southeast England.
The English countryside is a haven of verdant landscapes, historic estates, medieval villages and rolling chalk downs. Its literary heritage is illustrious.
English writers have long found inspiration, solace and creative sanctuary in their gardens. From the walled garden that sparked Frances Hodgson Burnett's imagination to Vita Sackville-West's poetic creation at Sissinghurst, from Virginia Woolf's writing room overlooking the Sussex Downs to the cottage garden where Jane Austen revised her novels, these intimate landscapes shaped some of the most enduring works in English literature.
On this journey, Kate will reveal the deep connections between these writers' lives, their gardens, and their creative work – sharing stories of how they lived and loved, and the landscapes that nourished their imaginations.
Following the ancient pilgrims' way from Canterbury to Winchester, we'll tread the same paths these writers walked, explore the gardens they tended or visited, and discover how place and creativity intertwine in the English literary tradition.
More importantly, together we’ll create an enriching space for reading and discussing these works, in the very settings that inspired them.
Tour Itinerary and Highlights
We begin our journey in Canterbury, the historic cathedral city where pilgrims have gathered for centuries. Here we'll walk in the footsteps of Charles Dickens, whose semi-autobiographical novel David Copperfield captures the spirit of this special city. We'll also explore Canterbury's other literary connections while discovering the cathedral's cloisters, herb gardens and medieval courtyards.
From Canterbury, we travel deeper into the heart of Kent to discover Godinton House Garden, a magnificent Jacobean manor with the longest yew hedge in England. This atmospheric, reputedly haunted estate inspired Vernon Lee's chilling ghost story A Phantom Lover when she visited in 1885. Lee, a groundbreaking French-British writer, was part of a fascinating community of Victorian women writers whose legacy we'll explore throughout the tour.
Next, we head to the medieval hilltop town of Rye, one of England's most enchanting literary destinations. Here we'll visit Lamb House, the Georgian townhouse where Henry James lived and wrote his masterpiece The Turn of the Screw. The house, said to be haunted, remains a pilgrimage site for lovers of gothic literature.
At Great Maytham Hall we'll discover the hidden garden that inspired Frances Hodgson Burnett to write The Secret Garden, arguably the most famous garden in all of literature. At Sissinghurst Castle Garden, the extraordinary creation of poet and novelist Vita Sackville-West, we'll explore the romantic garden rooms she designed and visit her writing tower, a space that captures the intimate relationship between creativity and landscape. Continuing our pilgrimage, we follow the South Downs, the rolling chalk hills that have inspired writers for generations. We'll trace the path of the young hero in Rosemary Sutcliff's The Witch's Brat and the 15th-century Clergy House in Alfriston, with its ancient apple orchard.
We journey onward to Sussex – Charleston was the country retreat of painter Vanessa Bell and the gathering place of the Bloomsbury Group, one of the most influential literary-artistic circles of the 20th century. At Monk's House in Rodmell, we'll visit Virginia Woolf's garden studio where she wrote Mrs Dalloway and composed her revolutionary essay A Room of One's Own, exploring how this landscape shaped her visionary work.
In Hampshire we immerse ourselves in the world of Jane Austen. At her house in Chawton, the only place where she lived and wrote that's open to the public, we'll see where she penned Emma, Sense and Sensibility, and Persuasion. The neighbouring Chawton House, her brother's grand manor, offers stunning gardens and houses a unique collection of early women's writing.
We conclude our pilgrimage in Winchester, the ancient capital of England, where we'll visit Jane Austen's grave in the cathedral and walk the water meadows that inspired Keats to write his sublime ode To Autumn. Here, along the final stretch of the pilgrims' way, we'll reflect together on the week's discoveries and celebrate the enduring power of English gardens and the writers who loved them.
The Literary Salons
One of the wonderful things about ‘destination reading’ is the heightened literary and travel experience it fosters. Imagine reading Frances Hodgson Burnett's The Secret Garden before stepping through the doorway of the walled garden at Great Maytham Hall that sparked her imagination – the very place where she wrote beneath the trees, discovering the story that would enchant generations of readers.
Read Virginia Woolf's revolutionary essay A Room of One's Own while sitting in the garden at Monk's House, overlooking the Sussex landscape she loved. Walk through the rooms where she worked, see her writing desk by the window, and understand how this modest cottage and its garden gave her the space and solitude to craft some of the most influential feminist writing of the twentieth century.
Explore Vita Sackville-West's tower study at Sissinghurst after reading her poetry and garden writing – climb the narrow stairs to the room where she wrote late into the night, then descend to wander through the garden "rooms" she created, experiencing her literary vision and horticultural genius intertwined.
Experience the atmospheric beauty of Godinton House after reading Vernon Lee's chilling ghost story A Phantom Lover, walking through the same rooms and beneath the ancient yew hedges that inspired her tale of obsession and haunting. Stroll through Jane Austen's cottage garden in Chawton, imagining her revising her manuscripts at the small table in the drawing room, the Hampshire countryside just beyond her window shaping the landscapes of her novels.
KATE FORSYTH
Dr Dr Kate Forsyth is an award-winning author, poet, and storyteller. She wrote her first novel at the age of seven and is now an internationally best-selling novelist and creative non-fiction writer. Named ‘one of the finest writers of this generation’, Kate has written more than 50 books, for all age groups and across many genres, and has published into 20 different languages.
Her most recent novel, The Changeling, was inspired by the true story of the first Scottish witch-hunt in 16th century Scotland. It draws on testimonies given by accused witches at their trials, including accounts of changelings, faery queens, ghosts, shapeshifting sorceresses and plots against the crown.
Other novels for adults include Psykhe, a retelling of the ancient Greek myth as a life-affirming celebration of feminine desire, strength and disobedience which reached Number 3 on the Australian Fiction Bestsellers list; The Crimson Thread, set in Crete during the Nazi invasion and occupation which The Washington Review called ‘a riveting tale of courage, love, and betrayal’; and Bitter Greens, which won the 2015 American Library Award for Best Historical Fiction.
Kate speaks the way she writes, with incredibly magical detail, honesty, thought and beauty, and a lyrical voice that paints a picture so perfectly, it's as if you are sitting around an intimate camp fire, being engrossed in a captivatingly poignant tale. She is a natural born storyteller, both in her writing and in person. An encounter with Kate leaves you walking away feeling enlightened, delighted, mesmerised and wishing for more, just like the fairytales that influence her and her incredible work.
Kiana Sheridan
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