History
The heart of our nursery is an Edwardian walled garden tucked away in one of the most beautiful valleys in Kent.
The story of the garden begins in 1906 when Philip James Stanhope and his wife Countess Alexandra Tolstoy (a relative of Leo Tolstoy, writer of War and Peace) built a 145 room mansion on the top of Toys Hill just south of Westerham. In the valley below they built a walled kitchen garden. We met a local resident recently who remembers a donkey cart which used to regularly carry supplies from the nursery garden up to the manor house.
Sadly, after Philip Stanhope died in 1923, his wife rarely visited. Weardale Manor eventually fell into disrepair and was demolished in 1939. You can still make out the remains of the grand house at the top of Toys Hill and, on a clear day, see four counties.
A narrow ridge separates French Street Nurseries from the next valley and here you will find Chartwell – now owned by the National Trust. Winston Churchill bought Chartwell in 1922 and added “the market garden at French Street” to his estate around 1946 / 7.
During the 1960s the garden once again fell into disrepair before the Emery family moved to the site and opened French Street Nurseries. Now under new family ownership the principles have not changed:- high quality plants grown on site, variety, very competitive prices and helpful service.
A visit to the nursery is easily combined with a trip to one of the nearby National Trust properties such as Chartwell, Emmetts Gardens, Quebec House or Knole, lunch or shopping in Westerham or a country walk on Toys Hill.
One of our customers described the nursery as “the best place for miles around”. Come and take a look for yourself, we’d love to see you.