Kent

Known as the ‘Garden of England’ because of its lavender fields, orchards and vineyards, Kent boasts over 180 public gardens.  Among them, the World Garden of Plants at Lullingstone Castle has plants from all over the globe. The National Trust looks after another four Kent gardens - Emmetts Garden in Sevenoaks, Sissinghurst Castle near Cranbrook, Scotney Castle in Tunbridge Wells, and Smallhythe Place near Tenterden.  There are also an impressive number of blue flag beaches and iconic landmarks including Canterbury Cathedral, the confusingly-named Leeds Castle (which is actually in Maidstone), and the famous white cliffs of Dover.  As England’s oldest county, Kent has been celebrated in literature, with Chaucer’s pilgrims flocking to Canterbury and many of Dickens’s novels set in Rochester, close to his home in Higham.  Today, it is a culinary hotspot, with Michelin-starred restaurants Chapter One in Farnborough, Read's in Faversham, The Sportsman in Seasalter, and Apicius in Cranbrook.

Barchester homes in Kent: