New garden inspired by Japanese tea ceremony at Newhaven attraction

Paradise Park and Gardens, the Tate family-run site, has been welcoming visitors for over 25 years and is undergoing significant enhancements.

The garden features a mural of Mount Fiji, painted by in-house artist Alisha Berry, planting native to a typical oriental garden and a traditional pagoda with a tea set underneath replicating the tranquil experience found when welcomed into a tea garden thousands of miles away in Japan.

The way of tea is a Japanese tradition steeped in history; a ceremonial way of preparing and drinking green tea typically in a traditional tea house. Beyond just serving and receiving tea, one of the main purposes of the ceremony is for the guests to enjoy the hospitality of the host away from the fast pace of everyday life.

As Head Gardener Simon Croucher explains, this is one of a few oriental-inspired gardens planned, part of one area of the sprawling outdoor space available for visitors to enjoy. “Oriental gardens are instantly recognisable and bring such calm and peace when you stand in them. We wanted to create our own trip through the Far East by showing the different styles within this genre.”

Simon hopes that the space brings a moment of calm and tranquillity to the visitors as they pass through the gardens.

“We are always in a rush with modern life and could take some inspiration from the Japanese and their approach to gardens and the calming nature they bring. I hope everyone that walks through our oriental gardens can leave feeling a little calmer. Maybe its no coincidence that the Oriental gardens are the first you find when you leave the children’s play area,” he says.