If you are a history buff, you will love Ightham Mote in Kent (pronounced ‘item’). It is Owned by the English National Trust, Europe’s largest conservation charity. I visited with my husband and youngest son and had a wonderful day exploring the grounds, visiting the house and enjoying the café!
Ightham Mote Manor House
Located in the heart of Kent, this historical moated manor house is set in glorious countryside. It isn’t just a house however, it is a showcase for 700 years of history. The original house dates from the 1340s with additional alterations from each owner from the 15th, 16th and 17th century. The National Trust has painstakingly refurbished this beautiful timber framed house with an ambitious £10 million budget – the largest ever programme of work undertaken by the NT.
You can read more about the residents at Ightham Mote on the National Trust Website.
The house itself is centred around a courtyard within which you can spot nearly every century of history. Ask one of the many helpful guides to help you spot them. As you walk through the house, you will see many different decorating styles. I loved seeing the progression of styles and décor; from the medieval Great Hall to the Billiard Room where there is a door straight to the moat rather than a bathroom!
A fascinating video of Tony Robinson and the TimeTeam from the English TV Channel 4 is shown on a loop showing an amazing insight into the works undertaken.
Children are entertained with a clipboard full of photos of items to find in each room. Very helpful volunteer guides are present as fonts of knowledge to tell you interesting facts and snippets. We learnt about squints (peep holes into a chapel) where the word ‘squint’ comes from.
Gardens and Walks
One hour is all you need to have a good look around the house (longer if you watch the entire video) but the grounds will take you a lot longer. There are 14 acres of gardens and over 500 acres of grounds with signposted walking trails of various lengths to follow or to just have a picnic or sit on a bench and take in the views.
If you have children, then there is a natural play area with lots of opportunities to get messy! I would advise bringing a spare change of clothes and some wet wipes.
The grounds and gardens are perfect for bringing your dog and spending the day wandering around the countryside but note that dogs are not allowed into the house.
Café and Gift Shop
The National Trust are known for their café’s and gift shops. Many people I know visit some of the properties for their café’s alone. Make sure you leave plenty of time to visit this one before you leave. The café is set in a courtyard away from the house, on the walk from the car park. The traditional National Trust fair of drinks and snacks are available so worth having lunch or an afternoon cup of Tea and Cake.
The gift shops at National Trust properties are always a pleasure to browse. This one, located next to the entrance booth across from the house is definitely worth a look in as the gifts range from food items to garden tools; children’s toys to women’s scarves. My family especially love the jams and chutneys.
Good, clean toilets are located next to the shop and café.
Events and Christmas
Ightham Mote, and the National Trust as a whole are well known for the events they put on around the year especially during the UK school holidays to keep children entertained.
At Christmas, activities and demonstrations are put on during peak times, mainly weekends, that are free without needing to book. They tend to focus on the Tudor Christmas traditions so is a brilliant event to come to.
Getting to Ightham Mote
It is a very popular place to walk around and visit so if you have drive here, you may have to loop around the carpark a couple of times to find a space. There is an overflow carpark that opens on busy days to make more space.
It is tricky to get here by public transport. The best way is to travel by train to Sevenoaks train station (7 miles away) and get a taxi for the 15 minute journey from the station. Ightham Mote is literally in the middle of the Kent countryside but definitely worth the journey.
National Trust
The English National Trust is Europe’s largest conservation charity. They help preserve historic and national places around the UK from coastlines to castles. You can visit as a one off paying the entrance fee or you can become a member paying an annual fee. As there are over 500 historical places to visit, there is plenty of choice of where to visit during your year. Occasionally, the National Trust promote the charity by offering a one day pass for a family which I had taken advantage of frequently before becoming a member myself.
Visiting from Overseas
There are membership options for just a few days if you’re interested in other National Trust properties. To find out more about the Explorer Pass, follow this link:
https://www.nationaltrust-tickets.org.uk/event-tickets/36003?branches.branchID=2674&catID=33567
If you’re visiting from the USA, then you may be interested in becoming a Royal Oak member, the US membership affiliate which you will receive tax deductions for your support. To find out more about this type of membership, click here.https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/membership/joining-from-the-usa
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