Historic Houses in Kent
These listings are for Stately homes. See also Historic buildings
An elegant 18th-century house built by Samuel Wyatt in neoclassical style for Colonel John Montresor. The house later passed to General George Harris (later created Lord Harris). The 5th Lord Harris amassed a huge collection of historical clocks, which can be seen by visitors.
Belmont Park, Throwley, Faversham, Kent, England, ME13 0HH
Heritage Rating: ?
Heritage Highlight: Historic clock collection
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Chartwell was the family home of Winston Churchill; set in wonderful gardens with views across a private lake. An unremarkable exterior hides a comfortable family home, full of Churchill memorabilia, from cigars to paintings to war correspondence.
Mapleton Road, Westerham, Kent, England, TN16 1PS
Heritage Rating: ?
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A country house in the style of a mock castle, Chiddingstone Castle houses the eccentric collections of Denys Bower. Far Eastern and Egyptian artefacts share space with the handkerchief born by Charles I at his execution, among other oddities.
Hill Hoath Road, Chiddingstone, Edenbridge, Kent, England, TN8 7AD
Heritage Rating: ?
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There has been a castle of some description at Chilham since the late 7th century, when Wihtred, King of Kent, signed a treaty here. Of that early fortresses little is known. There was a stone-built castle here at the time of the Norman invasion, and a much larger castle centred on a stone keep was built in 1171 by Fulbert de Dover, who used Henry II's royal mason as his architect. The keep is remarkably complete, missing only its parapets.
Chilham, Kent, England, CT4 8DB
Heritage Rating: ?
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Cobham Hall is a historic country house with roots as far back as the 12th century. Even earlier than that there was a substantial Roman villa here, but it was in 1208 that the history of Cobham Hall as we know it really began. In that year Henry de Cobham, later the 1st Lord Cobham, is known to have inhabited an early manor house on the site.
Cobham, Kent, England, DA12 3BL
Heritage Rating: ?
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Danson House was built in 1766 by Sir Robert Taylor for Sir John Boyd, a wealthy merchant, with interiors designed by William Chambers. It is one of the best examples of Palladian architecture in the country.
Danson Park, Bexleyheath, Kent, England, DA6 8HL
Heritage Rating: ?
Heritage Highlight: 18th-century Palladian interiors
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Godinton is a lovely brick manor with roots going back to the 14th century. Godinton was for centuries the home of the Toke family, and much of the present house owes its form to work undertaken by Captain Nicholas Toke beginning in 1620.
Godinton Lane, Ashford, Kent, England, TN23 3BP
Heritage Rating: ?
Heritage Highlight: Medieval Great Chamber with linenfold panelling
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Hall Place is a lovely manor house built in 1537 for a former Lord Mayor of London, Sir John Champneys. The interior boasts a very fine Tudor great hall with original panelling, overlooked by a minstrel's gallery. Look for the Queen's Beasts topiary garden, with hedges clipped to resemble heraldic symbols.
Bourne Road, Bexley, Kent, England, DA5 1PQ
Heritage Rating: ?
Heritage Highlight: Original Tudor great hall
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Ightham Mote is one of the best preserved, and certainly one of the most beautiful, moated manor houses in England. The house dates back to the 14th century. The name presents a challenge to linguists; Ightham may refer to an early settler of the region, named Ehta or Ohta. Mote may refer to the moat which surrounds the manor, or it may equally well be a derivative of 'moot', a gathering place.
Mote Road, Ivy Hatch, Sevenoaks, Kent, England, TN15 0NT
Heritage Rating: ?
Heritage Highlight: The 15th century New Chapel, with its beautifully painted Tudor ceiling
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In 1456 Thomas Bourchier, Archbishop of Canterbury, purchased the 12th-century estate of Knole from Lord Saye and Sele (see Broughton Castle). Under Bourchier's influence, an older medieval manor was transformed into a house that probably resembles an Oxford college more than it does a typical stately home.
Sevenoaks, Kent, England, TN15 0RP
Heritage Rating: ?
Heritage Highlight: Superb collection of 17th century furniture
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