Leonardslee Gardens Benguela Galleries

Leonardslee Lakes & Gardens in Horsham, West Sussex, has opened a new art exhibition with works by modern South African artists Anina Deetlefs, Xolani Sivunda, and Floris van Zyl, on show for the first time in the United Kingdom. Leonardslee’s Benguela Gallery is open all week and is free to attend with an entry ticket to the gardens. 

The show coincides with South African sculptor Anton Smit's successful residency at Leonardslee, where he established a sculpture park, one of the largest in Europe by a single artist. The Walk of Life exhibition includes more than 80 figurative pieces positioned by the artist to take full advantage of the valley and lakeside locations in the estate's 240-acre, Grade 1-listed gardens.  

Penny Streeter OBE, the owner of Leonardslee, is a major supporter of the arts in South Africa and the United Kingdom. “The grounds at Leonardslee provide the perfect backdrop for showcasing art, with their woodlands and lakes, and we are excited to have South African artists of international acclaim for our gallery,” she says. 

In the coming months, Leonardslee Benguela Gallery will bring more art to the UK to showcase South African talent. Many of the artists have had their work displayed at Leonardslee's sister venue in South Africa, Benguela Cove Lagoon Wine Estate. "We all need to be reminded every day how beautiful the world around us can be if we take the time to recognise it," Penny Streeter says. 

Anina Deetlefs was born in Cape Town, South Africa, and graduated from the University of Stellenbosch with a degree in graphic design in 1995. She says that the purpose of her art is to capture a woman's inherent, natural strength: 

“Women artists are becoming more widely recognised for their personal, artistic insight into the human spirit and the need to preserve that spirit through the power of the natural world. The world within is the cause, while the world outside is the effect. We have control only over our inner world, which is a place of transformation and growth. Much like the caterpillar wrapped in her silky shroud, who begins the long transformation from chrysalis to butterfly, we too have the ability to transform, to move forward, to grow and to change. That is where the art lies.” 

Xolani Sivunda is from South Africa's Eastern Cape, where he began his life in the mining industry. Art provided an escape from the mines. A professional artist for over a decade, he graduated from the Spier Arts Academy, and this will be his first exhibition outside of Southern Africa. 

Sivunda is a co-founder of Open HeART Studios in Mfuleni, Cape Town. This registered community charity was established to teach, inspire, and empower individuals through the medium of art. It mentors aspiring artists from the townships and offers studio space, tools, and exhibition opportunities. 

Sivunda's portraiture gained national recognition when he was chosen to paint a retrospective portrait of Nokutela Dube (1872-1917), the first South African woman to establish a school. She received South Africa's highest honour, the Order of the Golden Baobab, 100 years after her death in 2017. 

Floris van Zyl is an expressionist painter who studied graphic design in the early 1990s and created his own design firm, before he returned to painting in 2010. He has produced around 600 oil paintings - landscapes, still-lifes, portraits, animals, and other figure studies have all been sold globally. 

Leonardslee features his figure studies, with each piece communicating different emotions, from reflective love in Miss Helen’s Rose, to vocal exhilaration in Screaming King, to the mystical in Sanctuary. Through the use of colour, expressionist technique and subject matter, these paintings appeal on several levels. Floris uses the pallet knife with gusto to create expressive emotions.  

Following his own creative path has been crucial to Floris van Zyl's artistic development, he says: “It's my connection to the world, it’s what I can create and grow; where I can find and express inspiration. My art carries me spiritually and physically; it is my way to give and to create, giving me purpose to carry me through life.” 

About Leonardslee Lakes and Gardens  

Leonardslee Lake and Gardens re-opened to the public in 2019 after a closure of 10 years, when Penny Streeter, OBE, acquired and renovated the 250-acre estate. 

The landscaped woodland gardens were first planted in 1801 and are listed Grade I on the Register of Historic Parks and Gardens. They are a favourite weekend destination for families in Sussex, Surrey and beyond, drawn by the outstanding spring displays of rhododendrons, azaleas, camellias, magnolias and bluebells. 

Now managed by Streeter’s son, Adam, Leonardslee is home to an extraordinary range of wildlife, including foxes, rabbits, grey squirrels, badgers, weasels, stoats, shrews, voles and wallabies. While its gardens offer a protected ecosystem for rare wildlife. This includes Emperor Dragonflies and Damselflies, White Admiral and Purple Hairstreak butterflies and migratory and native birds — Kites, Great Tits, Tree Creepers, Nuthatches, Woodpeckers and Nightingales.  

Another attraction is a miniature 1:12 scale recreation of the Edwardian estate and the neighbouring villages. Additionally, Restaurant Interlude, which is located within the historic Italianate-styled Mansion House of Leonardslee Estate, offers a multi-course tasting menu under award-winning chef Jean Delport. 

Leonardslee Gardens 

Brighton Road 

Lower Beeding, Horsham 

RH13 6PP 

https://www.leonardsleegardens.co.uk/sculpture-park-art-gallery 

Opening Times 2022, Daily: 

Off Peak (30 October - 25 March)                             

9am – 4pm | Last entry 2:30pm | Last member entry 3:30pm  

Peak (26 March - 29 October)                              

9am – 5pm | Last entry 3:30pm | Last member entry 4:30pm 

Closed Christmas Day - 25th December 

For further information: www.leonardsleegardens.co.uk 

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Editors notes

Leonardslee Lakes and Gardens is a family-owned vineyard estate, near Horsham in West Sussex, which features ‘the finest woodland gardens in England’, Grade I Listed, as well as a Michelin Star restaurant and luxury vineyard accommodation.

The 240-acre estate was established by Sir Edmund Loder, the great Victorian plant collector, and now includes a Sussex Wine vineyard, with the first release of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier sparkling wine in 2024.

The estate features outstanding displays all year round. In the spring this includes rhododendrons, azaleas, camellias, magnolias and bluebells. The collection is exceptional in its diversity and maturity, with several rare ‘champion’ trees, threatened in their natural habitat. 

The gardens offer a protected ecosystem for rare wildlife such as Emperor Dragonflies and Damselflies, White Admiral and Purple Hairstreak butterflies and migratory and native birds - Kites, Great Tits, Tree Creepers, Nuthatches, Woodpeckers and Nightingales. 

The estate reopened in April 2019, following acquisition and two years’ intensive work by entrepreneur Penny Streeter OBE to restore the woodland gardens after eight years of closure and neglect under previous ownership. It was the largest garden restoration project in the United Kingdom since Heligan 30 years before.

Since further restoration work in 2021, visitors can also stay in the luxury vineyard hotel after dining at Restaurant Interlude in Leonardslee House, the Grade II Listed Italianate mansion house, to experience the Michelin Star multi-course tasting menu created by chef Jean Delport.

Visitors can review a unique dolls house exhibition that depicts the Edwardian estate and neighbouring villages at 1:12 scale. They can then enjoy a classic afternoon tea in the mansion house, making for a great family day out. It is one of the top places to visit in Sussex and is open all year round except Christmas Day.

For great days out, there is an extensive programme of entertainment that includes winter garden illuminations and light trails, wine and beer festivals, photo and art exhibitions, live music events, cooking and gardening demonstrations, arts and crafts fairs, modelling and toy shows, and children’s events and adventure trails.

Vineyards –

Leonardslee Estate: Acquired 2018 - 3.1 Acres - 2018 First vines planted - 4,000 Estimated bottles

Experimental planting of Pinotage - 2022 First estate Pinotage

Mannings Estate: Acquired 2017 - 34 Acres - 2017 First vines planted - 70,000 Estimated bottles

Sparkling wine cultivars 60% Chardonnay, 30% Pinot Noir and 10% Pinot Meunier - 2024 First release of wine