8 gardens, 1 free
Gardens to visit in East of England
The drier East of England is the home of naturalistic and dry gardening, with the gravel garden at Beth Chatto's, RHS Hyde Hall and the botanic garden in Cambridge, alongside historic estate gardens.
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Paid entry National Trust
Anglesey Abbey, Gardens and Lode Mill
Lode, near Cambridge, Cambridgeshire
Lord Fairhaven's 20th-century garden near Cambridge, laid out for every season with tree-lined avenues, fine statues, a Winter Garden, snowdrops, dahlias and roses.
Adults £20.90 with Gift Aid or £19 without, children (5 to 17) £10.50 or £9.50, under 5s free; family ticket £52.30 or £47.50 (prices from 1 March 2026)
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Paid entry The Beth Chatto Gardens Ltd (Chatto family)
Beth Chatto's Plants and Gardens
Elmstead Market, near Colchester, Essex
Beth Chatto's influential garden near Colchester, where unwatered gravel planting, damp-loving water gardens and shady woodland show her 'right plant, right place' approach.
Adults £5 on the day or £4 pre-booked, students £4, children (2 to 16) £3.50 (prices shown while pond silt removal work is under way)
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Paid entry University of Cambridge
Cambridge University Botanic Garden
Cambridge, Cambridgeshire
A 40-acre botanic garden founded by John Stevens Henslow, with restored glasshouses, early rock gardens, a winter garden and more than 8,000 plant species.
Adults £9.50 with optional Gift Aid donation or £8.60 standard; children 0 to 16 and essential carers free; 10% off when booked in advance
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Free entry Ipswich Borough Council
Christchurch Park and Mansion, Ipswich
Ipswich, Suffolk
Ipswich's first public park, around the Tudor Christchurch Mansion, with an arboretum, more than 4,000 trees, centuries-old oaks and ponds full of birdlife.
Free; Christchurch Mansion museum is also free to enter
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Paid entry Hatfield Park estate
Hatfield House Gardens
Hatfield, Hertfordshire
Historic formal gardens around a Jacobean house and the Tudor Old Palace in Hatfield, with parterres, a knot garden, yew topiary and woodland walks.
Gardens, Park and Woodland Walks: adults £17, children (3 to 15) £8.50, family (2 adults and 4 children) £42; House, Gardens and Park: adults £27; carers free
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Paid entry Royal Horticultural Society
RHS Garden Hyde Hall
Rettendon, near Chelmsford, Essex
The RHS's Essex garden, grown on an exposed, dry, clay-soil hilltop since 1955 and famous for its Dry Garden, hilltop borders and winter planting.
Adults £18.40 on the day or from £13.60 booked online in advance, children (5 to 16) £6, under 5s free (2026)
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Paid entry Sandringham Estate (private estate of the King)
Sandringham Gardens
Sandringham, near King's Lynn, Norfolk
The 60-acre gardens of the royal family's Norfolk retreat, shaped by successive monarchs since 1862, with lakes, a Jellicoe garden, rhododendrons and rare trees.
Gardens only: adults £15 booked online in advance or £17 on the day; House and Gardens £26 online or £28 on the day; children 16 and under free (2026)
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Paid entry English Heritage
Wrest Park
Silsoe, Bedfordshire
English Heritage's restored garden landscape at Silsoe, where an early 18th-century formal woodland garden, Capability Brown's paths and French-style 1830s gardens sit side by side.
Adults £16.30 on the day (£18 with Gift Aid donation), or from £13.85 booked online in advance; children (5 to 17) £8.10 on the day; prices vary by season (October 2026)
Prices and entry in East of England
A side by side summary. Prices and opening times change, so follow the link to each guide for details and sources.
| Garden | County | Entry | Price | Run by |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anglesey Abbey, Gardens and Lode Mill | Cambridgeshire | Paid entry | Adults £20.90 with Gift Aid or £19 without, children (5 to 17) £10.50 or £9.50, under 5s free; family ticket £52.30 or £47.50 (prices from 1 March 2026) | National Trust |
| Beth Chatto's Plants and Gardens | Essex | Paid entry | Adults £5 on the day or £4 pre-booked, students £4, children (2 to 16) £3.50 (prices shown while pond silt removal work is under way) | The Beth Chatto Gardens Ltd (Chatto family) |
| Cambridge University Botanic Garden | Cambridgeshire | Paid entry | Adults £9.50 with optional Gift Aid donation or £8.60 standard; children 0 to 16 and essential carers free; 10% off when booked in advance | University of Cambridge |
| Christchurch Park and Mansion, Ipswich | Suffolk | Free entry | Free; Christchurch Mansion museum is also free to enter | Ipswich Borough Council |
| Hatfield House Gardens | Hertfordshire | Paid entry | Gardens, Park and Woodland Walks: adults £17, children (3 to 15) £8.50, family (2 adults and 4 children) £42; House, Gardens and Park: adults £27; carers free | Hatfield Park estate |
| RHS Garden Hyde Hall | Essex | Paid entry | Adults £18.40 on the day or from £13.60 booked online in advance, children (5 to 16) £6, under 5s free (2026) | Royal Horticultural Society |
| Sandringham Gardens | Norfolk | Paid entry | Gardens only: adults £15 booked online in advance or £17 on the day; House and Gardens £26 online or £28 on the day; children 16 and under free (2026) | Sandringham Estate (private estate of the King) |
| Wrest Park | Bedfordshire | Paid entry | Adults £16.30 on the day (£18 with Gift Aid donation), or from £13.85 booked online in advance; children (5 to 17) £8.10 on the day; prices vary by season (October 2026) | English Heritage |