As Henry VIII's gardening manual goes on display to the public for the first time on 20 March at Buckingham Palace, Congham Hall Hotel is offering guests free entry to one of the finest royal gardens in the realm, at the Queen's Sandringham Estate in North Norfolk.

The recently discovered horticultural guide, Ruralia commoda, reveals that when the Tudor king wasn't chopping off heads, he enjoyed a little downtime indulging his green fingers. This love of gardening has passed down through successive generations of monarchs, reaching its zenith with the landscaping and planting of the grounds at Sandringham.

Since Edward VII bought the estate in 1862, the gardens have been added to extensively, with woodland walks, carrstone rockeries, a grotto, romantic lakes, formal gardens and lawns, and, most recently, a Stream Walk. Visitors can admire the gardens from 4 April to 18 October, at their leisure, or, for a small fee, by joining one of the seasonal programme of hour-long guided walks.

Congham Hall neighbours the Sandringham Estate, yet the Georgian manor house isn't only a convenient base for garden lovers. Guests can also enjoy the hotel's own 30 acres of parkland, which includes a Herb Garden of national renown. The collection features more than 400 varieties of herb, including goat's rue, a wild legume that was once used to treat the plague.

Guests can continue on the trail of Henry VIII around Norfolk. Blickling Hall, a stately home near Aylsham with its own spectacular gardens, was once home to the family of Henry's fated second wife, Anne Boleyn. East Barsham Manor, an exquisite example of Tudor architecture near Fakenham, provided a stopover for the king en route to the Walsingham Shrine, still a place of pilgrimage today.

From 20 April to 21 May, guests staying any two nights from Monday to Thursday will receive two free tickets to Sandringham House, Museum and Gardens. A night at Congham Hall costs from £120 room only, and from £199 for dinner, bed and breakfast. Ruralia commoda goes on display as part of the exhibition “Painting Paradise: The Art of the Garden” at The Queen's Gallery, Buckingham Palace, London, from 20 March to 11 October 2015.

Follow developments at Congham Hall Hotel on Twitter: @Congham_Hall and at http://www.facebook.com/ConghamHallHotel. For information on Norfolk, go to www.visitnorfolk.co.uk

To request images or further information, to arrange an interview with owner Nicholas Dickinson, or to enquire about press visits, please contact Little Black Book Creative: Simone Kane on 07811 161839 and simone@lbbcreative.co.uk, or Kate Simon on 07939 526109 and kate@lbbcreative.co.uk

Notes to editors:

Relaunched in May 2013, the 26-room Congham Hall Hotel sits in 30 acres of parkland, including
orchards and its renowned Herb Garden, which has 400-plus varieties and attracts visitors from far and wide. The modernised, 2 AA Rosette, bistro-style restaurant features much homegrown produce on its menu.

Congham Hall offers five-star service at three-star prices, in stylish but relaxed surroundings. The hotel won Best Small Hotel in the UK at the International Hotel Awards in November 2012 and Best Independent Hotel at the Eastern Daily Press/VisitNorfolk.co.uk Tourism Awards in November 2013. 

Nicholas Dickinson and his team took over Congham Hall in March 2012. The hotel relaunched in May 2013 after completing the last phase of a major refurbishment. Nicholas has spent his entire working life in the luxury hotel business. Early on, he worked at the five-star country-house hotel Chewton Glen and Raymond Blanc's two-Michelin-starred restaurant and hotel, Le Manoir aux Quat' Saisons. In 1994, Nicholas formed a partnership with Nigel Chapman, who had developed Woolley Grange in Wiltshire. Together, they created Luxury Family Hotels, which soon became the market leader in the UK for luxury family short breaks, and Alias Hotels, for the stylish mid-market corporate and leisure sectors. Both groups were successfully sold and Nicholas and Nigel went on to develop Martinhal Resort on Portugal's Algarve. This is Nicholas's first independent hotel project.

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