East Sussex is a scenic ceremonial county in South East England known for its historic landmarks, dramatic cliffs like the Seven Sisters, vibrant coastal towns, and rich cultural festivals.
Sheffield Park and Garden
Sheffield Park and Garden is a large landscape and woodland garden in East Sussex, originally designed by Capability Brown. It features a significant collection of rare plants and trees, natural ponds, and extensive grounds for outdoor exploration. The garden remains a National Trust property and offers visitors a serene and historic natural environment.
Tilgate Nature Centre
Tilgate Zoo is a small accredited zoo located in Tilgate Park, Crawley, featuring 74 animal species across geographical zones with interactive experiences and conservation programs.
Located in Crawley
Crawley is a historic market town and modern borough in West Sussex known for its New Town development, close proximity to Gatwick Airport, diverse cultural scene, and rich heritage.
Sissinghurst Castle Garden
Sissinghurst Castle Garden in Kent is a renowned historic garden created by Vita Sackville-West and Harold Nicolson, featuring an influential series of garden rooms, including the iconic White Garden. Located on Tudor-era estate buildings, it showcases a vast collection of old garden roses and other plants, attracting large numbers of visitors and managed by the National Trust.
Smallhythe Place
Smallhythe Place is a Tudor-era historic house and theatre museum in Kent, dedicated to Victorian actress Ellen Terry, featuring her theatrical collection, costume displays, beautiful gardens, and an active barn theatre hosting numerous productions annually.
Battle of Hastings
The Battle of Hastings site near Battle, East Sussex, marks the location of the pivotal 1066 battle between the Normans and Anglo-Saxons that shaped English history. Visitors can explore the battlefield, Battle Abbey ruins, and learn about this decisive Norman victory and its aftermath.
Located in Battle
Battle is a historic market town in East Sussex famous for the 1066 Battle of Hastings and its medieval abbey, with a charming high street, cultural heritage, and scenic walking opportunities.
Scotney Castle
Scotney Castle in Kent is a National Trust property featuring a medieval moated manor ruins and an early Tudor Revival country house surrounded by picturesque gardens with seasonal floral displays. Visitors can explore both indoor historic house spaces and outdoor gardens with historical and natural highlights.
Pevensey Castle
Pevensey Castle is a historic medieval and Roman Saxon Shore fort located in East Sussex. Visitors can explore the extensive outdoor ruins of the largest Saxon Shore fort, Roman curtain walls, and Norman medieval castle remains, including inner and outer baileys. The site also features WWII defensive machine-gun posts and has a history of several significant sieges.
Standen
Standen is an Arts and Crafts house in West Sussex, featuring original Morris & Co. interiors and an extensive Arts and Crafts garden. Visitors can explore the historic house and surrounding gardens managed by the National Trust.
Monk's House
Monk's House is a 16th-century cottage in Rodmell, East Sussex, notable as the home of writer Virginia Woolf and the Bloomsbury Group. Visitors can explore the period interiors, her writing lodge, and the garden with views of Mount Caburn, all operated by the National Trust as a writer's house museum.
Bateman's
Bateman's is a 17th-century Jacobean house in Burwash, East Sussex, known as the home of Rudyard Kipling. Visitors can explore the house preserved as it was in Kipling's time, including his study and collections, as well as the garden and the historic water mill on the estate.
Camber Castle
Camber Castle is a 16th-century Device Fort built by Henry VIII near Rye, East Sussex, to protect the coast from invasion. It is a ruined concentric artillery fortress operated by English Heritage, open to visitors for guided tours. The castle is notable for its historic military architecture and coastal location.
Alfriston Clergy House
Alfriston Clergy House is a modest 14th-century Wealden hall house in East Sussex, notable as the first property acquired by the National Trust. It features timber framing, a thatched roof, and a historic cottage garden, offering visitors an authentic glimpse into medieval domestic architecture.
East Dean and Friston
East Dean and Friston is a civil parish in East Sussex featuring the coastal hamlet of Birling Gap, known for its scenic Seven Sisters chalk cliffs, pebble beach, and National Trust visitor facilities including a cafe and shop. It offers a natural outdoor experience with coastal views and geological interest.
Battle Abbey
Battle Abbey is a historic Benedictine abbey site in East Sussex, England, built on the site of the Battle of Hastings. Visitors can explore the abbey ruins, enjoy the visitor centre with exhibitions and film, participate in audio tours of the battlefield, and use child-friendly facilities including a discovery room and playground.
Wakehurst
Wakehurst is a historic estate in West Sussex featuring a late 16th-century mansion, extensive botanic gardens, and the international Millennium Seed Bank. Visitors can explore the gardens and mansion, enjoy the woodland and wetland conservation areas, and dine onsite. It offers a rich horticultural experience including the largest Christmas tree in England and national plant collections.
Drusillas Zoo Park
Drusillas Zoo Park is a small family-run zoo in East Sussex featuring a variety of small animals and primates, interactive children's play areas, rides, and educational exhibits, providing both indoor and outdoor experiences for visitors of all ages.
Devil's Dyke, Sussex
Devil's Dyke is a deep dry valley on the South Downs near Brighton, known for scenic views, walking, hang gliding, and historic Iron Age hillfort remains. It is managed by the National Trust and offers a popular outdoor experience for visitors.
Bayham Old Abbey
Bayham Old Abbey is a historic 13th-century Premonstratensian abbey ruins located near Lamberhurst, Kent. Now maintained by English Heritage, visitors can explore scenic outdoor ruins featuring ornate stonework and a nearby gatehouse, set within landscaped grounds enhanced by famous landscape gardener Humphry Repton.
Litlington White Horse
The Litlington White Horse is a large outdoor chalk hill figure of a prancing horse on Hindover Hill, East Sussex. Originally cut in 1838 and recut in 1924, it is maintained by the National Trust and is a notable local landmark with historical and cultural significance, popular for hiking and scenic views.
Nymans
Nymans is a Grade II* listed English garden in West Sussex, featuring extensive woodland, rare plants, and the picturesque ruins of a mock-medieval stone manor. Managed by the National Trust, it showcases a variety of historic horticultural styles and plant collections.
Lamb House
Lamb House is an 18th-century writer's house museum in Rye, East Sussex, showcasing the home and garden of renowned authors like Henry James. Visitors can explore the historic interiors and the walled garden, enjoying both indoor and outdoor heritage experiences.
Bodiam Castle
Bodiam Castle is a 14th-century moated castle in East Sussex, England, known for its distinctive quadrangular design with towers and battlements. Set in a landscaped environment with an ornamental moat, it showcases medieval architecture and history. The castle is a ruin open to the public under the care of the National Trust and has been featured in films and television.