Leonardslee Lakes and Gardens Recensioni 

We received an annual membership as a gift and enjoyed visiting the gardens and the Lights event last year.

However I am leaving a negative review after some particularly bad customer service that we have experienced.

We wanted to visit Lights again this year but due to a fault with their member booking system we were unable to book members free tickets before they sold out.

We had to book tickets (members half price) over the phone, which we were fine with.

This week our 17 month daughter was very unwell and admitted to hospital. I called Leonardslee to see if we could move our Lights tickets to later in the month when she will have recovered, I was advised that they can't make changes over the phone and was told to email in.

I sent an email explaining the circumstances and was swiftly told that their system does not allow changing of tickets. So, I asked for a refund, I was told that I could only get a refund if I booked with secure my booking. This was never offered to me when I booked over the phone.

This experience has left a real sour taste in our mouths, and shows Leonardslee as an organisation that doesn't care for it's members.

We had planned to renew our membership for next year but have since cancelled.

Re the Christmas lights event - Disappointing Experience Due to Poor Management and Lack of Basic Facilities
We were really excited to attend Lensley Lights for the first time this year, especially as members of Leonardslee Gardens who had missed it last year. Unfortunately, our experience ended up being extremely disappointing due to issues that felt entirely avoidable.
When we arrived, there was a long queue, which we didn’t mind at first. However, my husband needed the toilet after about 20 minutes of waiting. We noticed there were no facilities available while queuing, so we decided to wait until we were inside. Only a few minutes into the event, we realised there were no toilets at all within the trail. An event organiser told us the only option was either to leave through the entrance we had just come through or face an hour-long wait to reach the nearest facilities at the café – which would effectively mean missing the entire event.
We were shocked to then be told that if we left to use the toilet, we would not be allowed back in. This felt incredibly inflexible and unfair, especially given that the lack of toilets was not made clear anywhere. The situation quickly became needlessly adversarial, and we felt we were being treated as though we were doing something wrong when we simply needed basic facilities that should reasonably be available at an event of this size.
The interactions with staff were surprisingly formal and unsympathetic, which added to the distress of the situation. We were put in an impossible position: either miss the entire event or ignore a very real need for the toilet. Ultimately my husband had no choice but to leave, and I stayed behind to avoid losing our place altogether.
Once we were finally able to continue through the lights, the event itself was overwhelmingly crowded and commercial. Despite having timed entry slots, the number of people inside felt excessive. It was slow, congested, and didn’t have the gentle, festive atmosphere we had hoped for. By the time we exited, we realised that reaching the café toilets from inside would indeed have taken more than an hour.
Overall, what should have been a special evening was overshadowed by poor planning, lack of basic facilities, and an unnecessarily rigid approach from staff. We left feeling upset and very disappointed. I hope the organisers will seriously reconsider their policies and provide on-site toilets or a clear re-entry system in the future, as the current set-up is not suitable for families, older visitors, or anyone with health needs.

In the words of a rather deflated looking father “it wasn’t what I thought it would be.” 🫤

Rude staff member very inconsiderate ! Myself and my 3 children visited during bad weather and took shelter in the cafe so the children could eat their lunch and I could get a coffee. My child is disabled and I couldn’t simply make him eat outside given the weather. The staff member saw me come in and set out my children’s food and said nothing. He waited until I ordered a hot drink (he saw I did this as I was asking what table number it was as I ordered using their table service option) once I’d paid he then said (whilst smirking) “yeah you need to leave you can’t eat your own food here” I stated to him “I’ve just ordered a drink and the children are already eating.. it’s torrential rain outside” he said that was the policy and I had to leave!
Whilst I understand there are policies that need to be followed he could’ve told me when he saw me give my children their food. He could’ve also told me before I ordered a drink. He could’ve also been more compassionate ! There was only one other family in the cafe at the time who looked on horrified ! I then had to pack my children up (1 under 2 years old and 1 disabled) to sit in the torrential rain to eat their food. The staff member then came up to me as I was leaving and gave me my hot drink and said there you go mam (again smirking) as if he’d done me a favour …. I’ve never been more disgusted with the behaviour of someone before in my life !!! All this after the extortionate prices to enter in the first place (including excessive parking) and getting roped into paying extra for the Halloween trail ! My disabled child dropped his Halloween trail paper form on the way round but my other two still had their forms and it was clear we had all done the tasks.. I get to the place we collect their prize (which I had paid for) and the man rudely tells my disabled CHILD nope! You aren’t getting one as you don’t have a form … what the hell is wrong with this place ??? Some manners and basic compassion and common sense is needed! I left after spending an extortionate amount of money after barely being there for 2 hours feeling so dejected and upset ! This was meant to be a treat for my children but instead we had an awful day and I had to hold back tears to stop the children seeing!! I hope your staff are happy for being truly awful people to children and those with disabilities!! Well done 👏

A wonderful garden. Beautiful lakes and incredible trees and sculptures. The cafe is lovely and very reasonably priced with nice courtyards and a large glass house with tables if the weather is inclement, as well as the indoor cafe seating area. Its a beautiful setting. The autumn is just starting so shortly the colours will be amazing. It is card only, which as that is far safer for staff to not have cash is very sensible. The shop was large, lots of variety and wine.

It's a great place to walk round lovely gardens .the only disappointment is they don't accept cash in the shop which i find strange as I thought cash is still king .

We happened upon the Wine Tasting in the main house. What a treat.
Chaminy looked after us very well and we sampled three of their sparkling wines in a lovely setting on the terrace behind the house.
A friendly, courteous and knowledgeable tasting of some great English wine.
A well kept secret that needs to be discovered!

Beautiful tranquil gardens and enjoyed listening to the birdsongs. The sculpture provided extra interest. Well worth a visit.

But I did find the cafe expensive, the shop was mainly imported tatt and it's a rip off to be charged to park your car on top of the the entrance fee.

I had my own personal guide when I visited Leonardslee Gardens and Lakes today with Patricia Davis who is a volunteer. Her knowledge was truly outstanding. She, as a volunteer has a true passion for the gardens and it became apparent with the time we spent there today. She also assisted other visitors today which I found heart warming. She is a credit to the team. Keep up the good work Patricia

This is our second year of membership and we have enjoyed the Leonardslee experience. Including lunch etc. on many occasions.
But having visited last Thursday (20th February) to purchase something from the shop we will be giving it a miss for a while. The car park is an absolute disgrace, full of water filled pot holes and mud everywhere.
We would need wellies just get to the entrance.
I appreciate there is a great deal of work going on but to turn the car park into a mud bath!!!
Steer clear until the car park is re surfaced that is my intention.

I've been to a few light shows this year and the renamed Leonardslee Lights came out on top. There was one route you needed to go and not a bunch of themed areas that collided into one another like others ive been to. The Lights and the sculptures were amazing. This was a quality lighting event. The route down to the massive lake changed this year and it was much easier and not tiring as you slowly walked your way to the top. The gift shop is big!! I did notice there were fewer artisan stalls this year.
Ok, so this year we visit 3 shows.
Tulleys was chaotic/exhausting and more quantity than quality.
Wisley was a bit bland. We arrived at 5pm and I thought it was closed, there were so few people.
Leonardslee lights. A lot of work and effort had been put into it. The moon and the earth floating over the lake looked amazing. With the great landscape and the expanse of land, I think they have the potential to to biggest in West Sussex.

I will never ever book an experience with Leonardslee again. Honestly been the worst ever, they expect you to visit if the weather is So bad that the advice was not to travel, won’t give a refund, nobody to actually talk to you, they don’t care about their customers at all. Apparently as long as the weather is okay their end as far as they concerned your not entitled to a refund. Doesn’t matter that some people were unable to travel due to the weather on the 7th December it’s my fault as I didn’t take out the ticket insurance! However the tickets were £25 all but a few pence as so many of us were going 14 in total, it was expensive. We had rearranged for half of us to go on the 13th as one of the children were very ill and couldn’t go and obviously my daughter and son in law couldn’t and wouldn’t leave a 3 year old.

They said we don’t refund arrange another date I tried to do this and they offered 8pm which as we over an hour and 20 minutes away is to late for 4 children under 7 to be out when one of them has chest issues.
They just send generic emails with no compassion what so ever.

Please take my advice don’t book with a company that truly don’t care enough to actually speak to you the whole experience has been awful and stressful and totally ruined our family experience which is the one thing we all try to do every Christmas.
I have told them due to so many of us working it is so very difficult to rearrange.

I hoped to take my grandchildren back on the 22nd they said 8pm which is to late they offered the 23rd again 8pm which is to late.
I’m just going to turn up at 5pm if they turn us away with the children then that says it all.
Otherwise we lose the money please think hard before you book

Leonardslee annual family member here - had free entry to events such as Leonardslee lights…The event was cancelled for the 23rd November due to a storm and the tickets were automatically moved to Thursday 28th November. We are unable to attend due to work. I asked Leonardslee to move the tickets to a weekend day ( availability was there). Was told I have to pay 50% entry price. I complained but nothing was actioned apart from the admin charge being refunded. Leonardslee have used the storm as a way of making more profit off of their members. Terrible. Our kids are upset and so are we. I will not be renewing our membership after this treatment.

Leonardslee gardens are the most beautiful in Sussex. There are wild and open areas, lakeside walks and organised, landscaped sites. There is an enclosure for wallabies which are just about always close by and easy to see. Another extra is the indoor dolls house area which is extensive and great for kids. A relatively recent addition is the playground which is exceptionally good and accessible for a wide age range. It’s usually packed which is evidence of its appeal.
The reason why I haven’t given it a five star review is down to the sudden imposition of parking fees and the cost of a coffee. We bought a couple of lattes at the cabin in the play area which were tiny (approx 150ml) and cost £3.50 each. I’ve not been served such a small latte before so that is really, really expensive.
Given that over pricing for hot drinks I think it would be fair if people were still allowed to bring their own food and drink. We have been going to Leonardslee for decades and it used to be a great place for picnics but now that is not allowed so it’s like they are pricing the park out of range of lower to middle income families. Finally there are a lot of reviews on here that are way too harsh. The owners do a good job; it’s a beautiful place and pricing is still on a par with the NT.

I love Leonardslee and used to visit every day when we lived nearby. It is such a beautiful, tranquil place but I am writing to express my disgust that they are now charging £4.80 (on reception, undoubtedly higher via Ringo app) to park. To enter gardens is over £15 making this over £20 to visit. This is outrageous, parking used to be free, where else would anyone be going, it's in middle of nowhere! This is pure greed, but judging by full carpark people are prepared to pay. This makes a visit to a beautiful area unaffordable to many, come on Leonardslee! Please don't say it's for gardens, they were wonderful before, paying your staff more!?

Really lovely gardens and amazing sculptures. It’s our 4th time and this time you had the inflatable labyrinth which was amazing. The only differences from our last time was the parking charge (quite expensive at nearly £5) and that you can’t take picnics (its a great picnic location). You can buy picnics from them (from the website) but can’t take your own onsite. However, the food was amazing. We had an ice cream at the inflatable event, one of the best flavours I have tried (honeycomb and marmalade) and amazing pizza at the clock tower restaurant. Good to note that the gardens are steep often and not very disabled friendly. Though I believe I may have seen a buggy giving lifts, so might be worth asking Leonardslee if you have mobility issues if they have options to aid disabled guests.

A money making machine. No food, drink or picnics allowed to be brought in. Nearly £5 parking charge on top of the £15.50 entrance fee. No senior concessions.
Will not revisit.

Money grabbers. Everything is an extra, stupid rule about no picnics or outside food allowed, your cafes onsite don't cater for everyone. You also need to pay for parking on top of entrance fee. Last visit for us.

Lovely gardens but felt ripped off paying £4.80 for parking after paying £15.50 each entrance fee for god's sake your in the middle of nowhere and charging for parking is a disgrace

Parking charge new this year a big surprize. Very high price to enter as well.

The azaleas and rhododendrons were magnificent (we visited in May), and the tea room was fine. HOWEVER, why oh why when we have paid £60 for our car load do we have to pay another £5.10 for the car park with threat of clamping? This is plain greedy greedy greedy, and leaves me fuming. Why not add another £1 to the ticket price?