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The Great Britain Guide

Gardens · South East England

Nymans

National TrustPaid admission♿ Wheelchair: limited

Nymans — English garden to the south of the village of Handcross, and in the civil parish of Slaugham in West Sussex, England, UK.

Nymans, gardens in West Sussex

Wikimedia Commons contributors — see linked file page for photographer and licence licence

Plan your visit

Typical visit
1 h–2.5 h
Best time of year
Spring & summer (Apr–Sep)
Nearest railway station
Balcombe · 4.2 km
  • Paid entry
  • Family-friendly
  • Dog-friendly
  • Limited wheelchair access
Visit on nationaltrust.org.uk

About

Nymans is a public garden in the United Kingdom. It covers approximately 29 km². Heritage designation: Grade II* listed park and garden. Owned by National Trust. Managed by National Trust. Part of National Trust. Wikidata describes it as: "English garden to the south of the village of Handcross, and in the civil parish of Slaugham in West Sussex, England, UK". Coordinates: 51.0500°, -0.1970°.

Photo gallery

Protected designations

  • Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty: High Weald

Designations sourced from Natural England open data under OGL v3.

From the Wikipedia article

Nymans is an English garden to the south of the village of Handcross, and in the civil parish of Slaugham in West Sussex, England. The garden was developed, starting in the late nineteenth century, by three generations of the Messel family, and was brought to renown by Leonard Messel. In 1953 Nymans became a National Trust property. Nymans is the origin of many sports, selections and hybrids, both planned and serendipitous, some of which can be identified by the term nymansensis, "of Nymans". Eucryphia × nymansensis (E. cordifolia × E. glutinosa) is also known as E. "Nymansay". Magnolia × loebneri 'Leonard Messel', Camellia 'Maud Messel' and Forsythia suspensa 'Nymans', with its bronze young stems, are all familiar shrubs to gardeners. The gardens are listed Grade II* in Historic England's Register of Parks and Gardens, and the house is a Grade II listed building. During 2025, the gardens received 415,569 visitors.

Excerpt from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0. See the source article linked in Sources below.

Background

History

In the late nineteenth century, Ludwig Ernest Wilhelm Leonard Messel (1847 1915), a member of a German Jewish banking family, settled in England and bought the Nymans estate, a house with 600 acre on a sloping site overlooking the picturesque High Weald of Sussex. There he set about turning the estate into a place for family life and entertainment, with an Arts and Crafts-inspired garden room where topiary features contrast with new plants from temperate zones around the world. After buying the property in 1890, Messel set about transforming the original Regency house into a German-style structure. Ludwig's brother Alfred Messel, already a well-known architect in Germany, drew up the plans;…

Sourced from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Coordinates
51.0500, -0.1970
County
West Sussex
District
Mid Sussex
Parish
Slaugham
Postcode
RH17 6EB
Parliamentary constituency
East Grinstead and Uckfield
Nearest railway station
Balcombe4.2 km

Sources

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Frequently asked questions

Where is Nymans?
Nymans is in West Sussex, South-East England, United Kingdom (postcode RH17 6EB), in the parish of Slaugham.
Who runs Nymans?
Nymans is operated by National Trust.
Is Nymans a listed building?
Nymans is officially recognised as Grade II* listed park and garden listed.
Is Nymans a protected site?
Yes — Nymans is part of the High Weald National Landscape (AONB).
Is Nymans free to visit?
Nymans is operated by National Trust. Entry is free for National Trust members; non-members pay an admission charge.
How do I get to Nymans?
The nearest railway station is Balcombe, about 4.2 km away. Drivers can navigate to postcode RH17 6EB.