Stoneacre - Otham, near Maidstone Kent
Our visit to Stoneacre 7th April 2012.
15th century half timbered yeomans house.
A National Trust Property
Stoneacre Medieval Yeoman's House And Garden, Otham, Kent.
Stoneacre is a small National Trust property in Otham, near Maidstone, Kent in southern England. The property is a half-timbered yeoman farmer's house dating from the 15th century, together with a small garden, orchard and meadows.
The site overlies an outcrop of Kentish ragstone and from this the name is thought to originate. Hasted's History of Kent mentions that during the reign of Edward II one John Ellys resided here. A will from a century later records another John Ellis who died a wealthy man. His son (also called John Ellys) built the hall house in the 1480s. The steep slope and poor foundation led to problems with the north wing in the middle of the 16th century. The cellars and ground floor had to be rebuilt in stone with buttresses to stop the slippage, as is visible today. At this date high hall houses were going out of fashion and the opportunity was taken to insert and upper floor into the original hall. The Ellys family continued to hold Stoneacre until 1725 when it was sold and occupied by tenants.
In 1920 the ruin was purchased by Aymer Vallance. Aymer was a 58-year-old bachelor when he bought the property, but in 1921 he married Lucy Ada Hennell. Aymer set about reconstructing the house to his vision of a Tudor yeoman's dwelling. As a consequence of reopening the hall to its full height, two bedrooms were lost. These were provided by an extension to the south with the library underneath. The old single-storey scullery to the rear was removed and a 16th-century farmhouse which was to be demolished, North Bore Place from Chiddingstone Kent, was used to build a new two-storey wing westwards from the north end. The new wing provided a servants' hall and kitchen below with two maid's bedrooms above. In 1928 the property was presented to
The front of the house is the eastern elevation. The north end has a stone built lower floor with a timber framed upper. There is no jetty. The central section has the main door and to its left the large hall window going from the foundation plinth to the eaves, the building is timber framed with rendered infilling. This is the hall section, so there is no upper floor and hence no jetty. A two-storey bay with jetty marks the end of the original hall; beyond is a brick-built lower room with a timber-framed upper floor. In the upper floor is a 12-light window which was moved to the new structure. Originally it had lit a bedroom on the 16th-century inserted floor. On the western elevation, at the junction of the new south extension to the original hall, is an octagonal stair turret. Moving northwards there is the original two-storey jettied quarters, the double-height hall with its reconstructed west window. The original building is obscured from just beyond the screens passage by the 20th-century north wing.
It should be noted that the stair turret and west front of the north wing were brought from North Bore Place when it was demolished and therefore are original 16th-century work (dates on arches are 1547 and 1629) although incorporated into a 20th-century structure.
The main entrance door was restored by Vallance, but is original. Through the door is the screens passage. The framework of the screen is original, but the panels are by Vallance because the originals had rotted. The hall itself is dominated by the roof, which is supported by a huge tie-beam carrying a crown post consisting of four engaged columns. When the hall was divided the original central hearth was replaced by a brick-and-rubble chimney. During Vallance's restoration work this was in turn replaced by a 15th-century fireplace from the George public house in Sittingbourne. The chimney above is 20th century.
The drawing room or parlour formed part of the original house, presumably fulfilling a similar function as a private room apart from the hall. The fireplace is from North Bore, and the stained glass is reproduction. The curtains are original 1880s and rare enough to be noted as such in the guide book.
Above the drawing room is a solar with a similar, if smaller-scale, roof to that of the hall. The oriel window dates from the restoration but is based upon the plan of the original. Flanking the oriel are two original windows with rare slots to carry vertical shutters.
Main Music:-
Parting Glass by Audionautix is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (
Artist:
Intro Title Music:-
Cinematic (Sting) by Twin Musicom is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (
Artist:
Stonearce - A medieval yeoman's house
We found this little gem hidden in the gentle countryside of Kent. It's really a nice little place with plenty of gardens to explore. There were apples bursting out the trees in all the corners.
We found it on National Trusts website:
A more informative brief can be found at the Wikipedia site:
Credits:
Music
Folk Round by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution licence (
Source:
Artist:
National Trust - Ulster Gardens Scheme
Meeting of UGS Committee at Rowallane Gardens on Tuesday 10th January 2017
Smallhythe Place, Kent, last home of Dame Ellen Terry.
Our visit to the Ellen Terry Museum.
Hestercombe Gardens
Hestercombe Gardens in Summerset South West UK.
A beautiful place,, well worth visiting!
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Great Comp Gardens Sevenoaks
A nice hot day out in June 2013 at Great Comp Gardens. If you're into gardens I would recommend this one.
Arlington Court & The National Trust's Carriage Collection North Devon
Arlington Court is a neoclassical style country house built 1820-23, situated in the parish of Arlington, next to the parish church of St James, 5 1/4 miles NE of Barnstaple, North Devon, England.
The house was commissioned by Colonel John Palmer Chichester (1769-1823) to the design of the North Devon architect Thomas Lee, replacing the earlier Georgian house of about 1790, built on a different site and demolished, designed by John Meadows. Arlington Court was considerably expanded in 1865 by John Palmer Chichester's grandson, Sir Sir Alexander Palmer Bruce Chichester, 2nd Baronet (1842-1881), son of Sir John Palmer Bruce Chichester, 1st Baronet (d.1851). In 1873 according to the Return of Owners of Land, 1873 the Arlington estate comprised about 5,300 acres.
Sir Bruce's unmarried daughter and heiress, Rosalie Chichester (d.1949), donated the mansion to the National Trust together with 3,500 acres (14 km2) two years before her death in 1949.
Today, the house, together with the Chichester family's collection of antique furniture and an eclectic collection of family memorabilia, is fully open to the public.
The National Trust describes the property as Arlington Court & The National Trust's Carriage Collection. The property is home to its collection of over 50 horse-drawn carriages, ranging from the humble Hansom cab to the grandiose State Coach.
Polesden Lacey near Dorking Surrey.
A house and gardens tour of Polesden Lacey - a National Trust property.
6th Sept 2012.
Sissinghurst castle garden in the Weald of Kent.
Recorded April 2012.
Kent Country Walk - Otham to Leeds Castle round.
Our walk is a guided walk in the Garden of England, Kent. We start in Otham a village near Maidstone and walk through the fruit crops and orchards to Broomfield and Leeds Castle we return to Otham via Leeds village and through more of England's orchards. This is a beautiful walk below the North Downs and Leeds Castle is spectacular. Start point: Otham War Memorial. This is an easy mainly flat walk through orchards, fields and along tracks and minor roads. Approx 7 miles allow 2 hours 45 minutes using OS Explorer map 148, Maidstone & the Medway Towns.
We have done this video and our last video Kent -- Detling-North Downs Way-Pilgrim's Way-Thurnham on request for David Seager from New York, USA who's Great, Great Grandfather, Edward, lived in Thurnham and was buried in Otham churchyard.
Emmetts Garden Ide Hill Sevenoaks Kent.
Our visit 13th May 2012