They in turn made it over in the late 1940s to the National Trust, who leased it to businessman, philanthropist and art collector Simon Sainsbury until his death in 2006.

Over the past five decades Simon Sainsbury and his partner Stewart Grimshaw collaborated with renowned designers such as Lanning Roper, Julian and Isabel Bannerman, Philip Jebb, and more recently, Thomas Heatherwick to transform the Woolbeding Gardens into the vibrant horticultural paradise it is today, now open to the public.

Julian and Isabel Bannerman redesigned this space to feature a dry garden with formal water pools, surrounded by informal perennials and olive trees.

The Bannermans also developed the Pleasure Grounds area as well as The Long Walk; a circular route which features delightful follies that lure visitors around the garden.

The ten-sided kinetic glasshouse and landscaped garden zones showcase plants, shrubs and trees that represent the key regions of the Silk Route.