Ightham Mote
Ightham Mote is a medieval moated manor house in Kent. Set in picturesque countryside, but very much hidden from view, it is reached via a delightful village and down a narrow country lane. In his acclaimed book England’s Thousand Best Houses, Simon Jenkins describes it as ‘England at peace with nature.’
Ightham Mote was originally built around 1320 for the Cawne family. It was remodelled some 170 years later in the early Tudor style, then passed into the ownership of Sir Richard Clement, a courtier to Henry VIII. It is claimed Henry visited here in 1525 with his first wife Katherine of Aragon. For the next 400 years Ightham Mote barely stirred as a succession of owners passed through.
In 1953 the place was bought by the American paper tycoon Charles Henry Robinson who had fallen in love with it on a cycling tour 30 years earlier!). In the 1980s it was given to the National Trust who employed many master craftsmen in renovating it using original medieval and Tudor techniques. Highlights include the Great Hall, Solar and Chapel. Relatives of Henry Robinson still live in a cottage adjacent to the manor house. The estate features extensive gardens and woodlands covering 500 acres.