Sennicotts

The house is Regency with a balustrade and paved terrace on the north-east and south-west sides of the house. The house has had some famous visitors and was occupied from 1939-1945. In 1947 the house was bought by a member of the Bowes-Lyon family, Captain G. Bowes-Lyon and his wife, who were keen gardeners. Looking from the terrace of the house to the west are two very large rhododendron beds created by this family. The tree planting in the gardens include Irish yews, weeping pears and a Wellingtonia.

Near the northern boundary was an avenue of beech trees known as Cathedral Walk. This had originally been planted to mark the coronation of Queen Victoria, but was lost at the time of the hurricane in October 1987. In 1989 a new avenue of trees was planted, this time with limes. It appears that a number of trees in the garden and parkland had been planted in groups of three. The grouping is not always in evidence now, as some of the trees have been lost.

To the south of the lawn, an area which may have been part of the parkland has become part of the gardens. The grass appearance indicates change of use. To the west of the main terrace beyond a lawn area is a shrubbery with narrow paths, (‘pleasure walks'). Six of the paths meet at a summer house. The existing summer house dates from 1990 as the original Chinese summer house had been badly damaged in the storms of 1987. The planting in the shrubbery is Victorian, and includes camellias, rhododendrons and azaleas. There is evidence of a thuja tree.

To the western end of the shrubbery is a small pond with a heron created by Margaret Rey, to replace the original statue of a satyr by Dietz, a German sculptor working in France in 1680. Much of the garden statutory no longer remains.

To the west of the lawn and shrubbery area is clipped yew hedging bordering the garden and parkland. From the shrubbery to the north-west is another garden with a late-Victorian wall running along one side enclosing part of the kitchen garden. The original wall has been added to and in places is ten to fifteen bricks higher. At the northern end is a wall of much larger bricks. This garden has now been laid to lawn and there is evidence of Bowes-Lyon planting. There are two lions on plinths brought from an estate in Northumberland by members of the family.

A walk with pleached limes leads to a circular area known as Pan's Garden. There was once a three-tiered fountain there, but it was destroyed in 1987 and only Pan and his pipes remain. There is also a large circular mill stone which is a reminder of the Rank's family connection with milling. A lantern tree (crinodendron) was planted in 1976 and there is also rhododendron planting.

Continuing to walk to the north of the rat barn wall, then north-east of the enclosed kitchen garden, the path leads to various out buildings which had an agricultural use, with evidence of Home Farm buildings as suggested earlier. At the back of these buildings is the walled garden, where there are fruit trees including a fig and an apple tree known was the Aldwick Beauty, originally brought from the Aldwick Estates.

A large area of the garden is under cultivation with vegetables and flowers. The greenhouse against the west wall was replaced in 1970 as the previous one fell down. The site of the old boiler-house can be seen, and there is also a water pump, which could produce enough water to last for ten minutes in the event of a fire.

To the east of the kitchen garden is the stable block, now used to house cars. The coach house was altered in 1930 and bricks known as ‘Midhurst Whites' were used in order to fit in with the older parts of the building. To the east of the stable block is a midden, originally used for horse manure.

The property is very carefully maintained by the present owner Mr James Rank.