Noel Thompson's delightful garden, adjacent to the local church, is planted in the grounds of the two hundred year old vicarage.

It is essentially a formal garden, created to be a modern representation of 18th century formality.

It has a series of garden areas: box edged lavender beds and topiary to the rear of the house, pleached hedges leading to lawns and herbaceous borders, and colour themed romantic plantings in separate compartments.

Noel is a garden designer and lecturer, and it shows: his sense of colour, shape and originality combines beautifully with his love and knowledge of plants, and he has managed to create a garden that is formal, relaxed and timeless all at the same time.

Hailsham Grange is not a large garden but is one of those places you can happily while away an entire afternoon, wandering, sitting, reflecting, inhaling and admiring.

And when you're quite done, there's tea in the nearby church hall.

Hailsham Grange, Vicarage Road, Hailsham BN27 1BL (park in public car park) opens on Sunday July 6, 2–5.30pm, adults £3.50, children free.

For more information about the National Garden Scheme visit www.ngs.org.uk

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