Grounds and Gardens
The grounds of Ashburnham Place extend to over 220 acres and provide a setting of great natural beauty at all times of the year. The area is rich in wildlife, and part of it has been designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest because of valuable flora and fauna.
The grounds in their present form were designed and constructed in the mid-eighteenth century by Lancelot 'Capability' Brown. He laid out the three large lakes which encircle the house, and built the Orangery, which is home to a number of interesting and unusual plants, as well as the oldest camellias in the country.
The beautiful iron gates and railings which encircle the gardens around the house are a reminder that it was at Ashburnham that the Sussex iron industry finally died out in 1825.
A walk through the grounds will take you past the Temple - a small ornamental building, the Ladyspring grotto - a classical 'ruin' built around a freshwater spring, and the Winter Garden, which is being restored to provide walks and areas of planting for enjoying during the winter months.