The South Cottage 1935

The South Cottage reopens for a new sensory experience that will immerse you in the sights, sounds, and smells of a day in the life of Vita Sackville-West and Harold Nicolson in 1935.

Discover significant stories from 1935 when Harold was writing his ground-breaking biography of American diplomat Dwight Morrow and was starting his long friendship with pioneering aviator Charles Lindbergh, the Big Room (Library) was being designed, and Vita was researching Joan of Arc for her biography that would be published that October.

Explore the rooms and encounter different scents and nostalgic objects such as tobacco tins, playing cards, and more, while soundscapes of what life would have sounded like to Vita and Harold play overhead.

There will also be a special opportunity for visitors to handle various objects in the South Cottage including books, which was not possible before.

The South Cottage will operate on a free flow basis with a maximum of 12 visitors in there at any given time, adding to the intimate nature of the experience.

Additional hourly timed tours will be available on Tuesdays and Thursdays when the Cottage will open slightly later at 11:30am.

Please note that daily opening will be dependent on volunteer availability. While we aim to open on a daily basis during this period, this may not always be possible.