Groups & Tours
Whether you’re a tour operator, a special interest group, or simply visiting with friends and fellow plant lovers, we cater for all
Welcoming Groups to Borde Hill
“Plants have been in our DNA since 1598 when Stephen Borde, the grandson of Henry VIII’s private herbalist and physician Andrew Borde, rebuilt the picturesque Elizabethan Mansion at the core of our Estate. Centuries later, in 1893, my great great grandfather, Colonel Stephenson Robert Clarke sponsored plant hunting trips to all four corners of the world. The result is our beautiful heritage Garden and Parkland, featuring one of the the largest collections of privately owned champion trees in the country.
The Garden is set within 383 acres of Grade II* heritage-listed Parkland in the High Weald National Landscape, with spectacular views of the Ouse Valley Viaduct. Planted as a series of outdoor ‘garden rooms’, highlights include the Azalea Ring, the tranquil Italian Garden, enchanting Rose Garden, and new perennial summer borders, including Paradise Walk and the Mid Summer Border.
From groups of dedicated horticulturists and lovers of plants, to those who want to relax and soak in the ‘joyous balance’ of nature, there’s something for everyone to enjoy at Borde Hill. We look forward to welcoming you”.
Jay Goddard (née Stephenson Clarke)
Managing Director and 5th generation Family custodian of Borde Hill
View our 2025 Group Visits Guide
To promote sustainability and reduce our impact on the environment, we’ve created a digital guide that you can view online.
Our Group Benefits for 15 people or more
- Discounted Garden entry of £9.50, increasing to £10.00 for 2025
- Guided Garden and Specialist Tours
- Free admission for the group organiser
- Free coach driver admission and a £10 refreshment voucher
- Meet and greet from a member of our team
- A dedicated group coordinator
- Bespoke group catering served inside a dedicated marquee
- The Garden Café, offering light lunches, cream teas and freshly baked cakes, with outdoor seating
- Ginkgo Coffee Shop, serving barista coffee, specialist teas and a selection of cakes and bakes, with indoor seating
- A Garden map to help you explore at your own pace, with an accessibility map also available
- Free on-site coach park and car parking
- A well-stocked Gift Shop and Plant Nursery
- Free wheelchairs available for hire
Our Seasonal Highlights
Whether you’re looking to book self-guided entry to the Garden, or one of our guided tours, Borde Hill is a treat for the senses whatever the season.
From springtime’s magnificent displays of early flowering magnolias, camellias, azaleas and rhododendrons, to the summer months when hundreds of David Austin roses captivate visitors with their enchanting fragrance.
Autumn is a particularly special time to visit Borde Hill when the Garden and Grade II* listed Parkland are transformed by the vibrant hues of mature, award-winning trees and fiery autumnal shrubs.
Our Guided Group Tours
Enhance your group visit by pre-booking a guided tour for 15 people or more. Whether you’re exploring our outdoor ‘garden rooms’, immersing yourself in Borde Hill’s rich historical archive, or delving into the world of summer roses, we offer a selection of tours to suit all tastes and interests.
Garden Tour
Celebrate the Art of Gardening
Join a relaxing tour of the 17-acre formal garden led by an expert guide from our green-fingered Garden Team. Explore Borde Hill’s rich history as you weave between outdoor ‘garden rooms’, each boasting a distinctive character and planting scheme that provide variety, colour and interest throughout the seasons.
During your tour, you’ll discover what it takes to maintain our oasis of tranquillity on a day to day basis, along with our ambitious plans to build a sustainable future and to protect Borde Hill’s rare and significant plant collection for generations to come.
Price: £100 for up to 25 people (plus group Garden entry). Larger groups will be split into multiple tours.
Tour length: 1 hour
Availability: daily from 15th February to 21st December 2025
Historic Archive Tour
A Celebration of Planting Excellence
Join us for a guided tour through the past, present and future of horticultural excellence at Borde Hill. Step inside the Elizabethan Mansion, where our expert guide will unlock the remarkable horticultural archive of Colonel Stephenson Robert Clarke, the visionary plantsman responsible for the Garden’s extraordinary collection of rare trees and flowering shrubs.
Discover the captivating history behind some of Borde Hill’s exotic plants and Champion Trees, grown from seeds gathered on explorations around the world from 1893 onwards. Our guide will also share insights into our pioneering propagation programme, a testament to our dedication to safeguard these botanical wonders for future generations.
This unique tour will reveal the fascinating origins of our plant collection, a true masterpiece of British gardening. For an additional cost, groups can book a tour of the Garden to discover first-hand some of the specimens that continue to thrive at Borde Hill today.
Price: £100 for up to 25 people (plus group Garden entry). Larger groups will be split into multiple tours.
Tour length: 1 hour
Availability: 15th February to 21st December 2025
Roses in Bloom Tour
Experience the Romance of Roses
Throughout June, groups can book a guided tour like no other, immersing themselves in the beauty of our Rose Garden at its peak. With over 750 roses, and an impressive medley of 150 varieties, Borde Hill is home to one of the largest David Austin displays in the country. This is an exclusive opportunity for garden lovers to experience the colours and scents that define our British summertime.
Led by an experienced guide, the tour will take you through the pathways of Jay Robin’s Rose Garden and its surrounding borders. As you explore, you’ll discover more about the Rose Garden’s rich history, design, and development over time. Our expert guide will share best practice on how to nurture your own roses using organic methods, companion planting, mulching, and feeding, as well as sharing insights on the best varieties to grow at home.
Complete your summer experience with a refreshing glass of Elderflower & Rose Pressé served in the splendour of the Rose Garden.
Price: £100 for up to 25 people (plus group Garden entry) to include a drink. Larger groups will be split into multiple tours.
Tour length: 45 minutes.
Availability: throughout June 2025
Group Catering
For a seamless group visit, we offer a range of catering options that can be booked in advance for 15 people or more. Freshly prepared using locally sourced ingredients, our group menus include refreshments on arrival, delicious cream teas and cold buffet lunches all served inside a marquee exclusively for your group.
Refreshments On Arrival - from £3.00 per person
Rest and hydrate on arrival before beginning your Garden Tour with one of our self-service refreshment options available from the Garden Marquee.
Option 1 – Filter coffee, specialist teas and biscuits. £3.00 per person
Option 2 – Filter coffee, specialist teas and pastries. £5.00 per person
Cream Tea - from £6.50 per person
Fruit scones, clotted cream, fruit jam, filter coffee and specialist teas.
Available as a seated option in the marquee or as a takeaway to enjoy al fresco
(Gluten free scone available on request and with advance notice)
Sandwich Platter - from £12.00 per person
Seated inside the Garden Marquee.
A self-service platter of freshly prepared finger sandwiches, with fruit, chocolate tiffin slice, homemade sausage rolls, and freshly brewed filter coffee/specialist tea, or a bottle of juice/water.
(Gluten free options available on request and with advance notice)
Buffet Lunch - from £20.00 per person
Seated inside the Garden Marquee
A seated, two course, cold buffet lunch with a selection of tarts, meat dishes, salads, new potatoes, desserts and table water.
(Gluten free options available on request and with advance notice)
Groups can also visit our Ginkgo Coffee Shop inside the Entrance Building to enjoy barista coffee, specialist teas, sweet and savoury homemade bakes.
Alternatively, enjoy light lunches and delicious cakes and bakes at the Garden Café nestled between the Rose Garden and South Lawn. The café does not have indoor seating but there are plenty of tables with umbrellas where you can sit and soak in the view.
If you have a specific allergy or dietary requirement, please let us know at the time of your booking.
Combined Group Offers
For groups looking to experience the very best of Sussex, we’ve partnered with two neighbouring attractions, both conveniently located just 20 minutes from Borde Hill, to offer contrasting day packages to pre-booked groups of 15 people or more.
Bluebell Railway
Step back in time and start your day at the famous Bluebell Railway, as seen in Downton Abbey and recently named one of the best steam railways in Britain. Offering great value for money, groups can enjoy a relaxing journey in timeless comfort on board one of its famous steam locomotives, followed by a leisurely afternoon wander at Borde Hill (itinerary can be reversed on request).
2025 Group rate (15+): £30.00 per person
Why not round the day off by booking a Cream Tea or lunch (for an additional charge) served inside our charming marquee.
To Book: contact The Bluebell Railway directly on 01825 720800.
Pre-booking and a deposit are required; full payment 30 days in advance.
Sat Nav: TN22 3QL
Sussex Prairie Garden
Combine a trip to Borde Hill with a morning visit to Sussex Prairie, Britain’s largest ‘naturalistic’ garden. Following a short welcome talk by the owners, groups will have exclusive morning access when they can explore the 8-acre garden at their leisure using a network of small paths which snake through the borders. Groups can then make the short 20 minute journey to Borde Hill Garden where they can spend the afternoon.
2024 Group rate (15+): £21.00 per person. Available Jun-Oct. Closed Mondays and Tuesdays
2025 Group rate (15+): £22.00 per person, to be confirmed
Why not book a tempting Cream Tea or lunch (for an additional charge) served inside our charming marquee.
To Book: contact Borde Hill Garden on 01444 450326, or email
Sat Nav: BN5 9AT
How to book
We have a dedicated member of the team to assist you with planning your group visit to Borde Hill. To make an enquiry, or to discuss your group’s requirements please call us on 01444 450326 or email us at [email protected]
Don’t forget to ask about our pre-bookable Garden tours and group catering options – you will get so much more out of your visit. We look forward to helping you plan your perfect day out in the Sussex countryside.
Booking Information
Accessibility
We welcome visitors of all abilities at Borde Hill and most paths in the Garden are step-free and accessible to those with restricted mobility.
Gentle slopes, hard surfaces and gravel paths allow good wheelchair access with mobility maps available from reception. There are plenty of benches located around the Garden for relaxing and taking in the sights.
The Parkland and Woodland have naturally uneven terrain making them unsuitable for wheelchairs and buggies.
For more details please visit our accessibility page.
Our Location
Easily accessible, Borde Hill is conveniently located 1 ½ miles north of Haywards Heath, 45 minutes from London, 30 minutes from Brighton and 15 minutes from Gatwick Airport. Find us just off of the A23 taking exit 10a via Balcombe.
Sat Nav: RH16 1XP
For more details please visit our Travel & Directions page.
Payment
Our minimum group size to qualify for the reduced rate of £10 per person is fifteen people. This gives a saving of £2.50 per person compared to our standard adult admission price of £12.50.
Guided tours can accommodate a maximum of 25 people. For groups exceeding this size, two separate tours can be arranged, with each subject to its own fee.
We ask that payment for tours and group catering is made at least a week in advance of your visit.
Membership
Connect to the beauty of nature while supporting our Garden for future generations by becoming a Member.
Members enjoy unlimited access to the Garden, Woodland and Playground throughout the open season, as well as free entry to highlights from our varied events programme. Visit time and again and enjoy free family trails during the school holidays, exclusive open days and monthly Garden newsletters.
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