Hi, and welcome to our video from Ightham Mote in Kent
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And again we're in our corner of England, the county of Kent
and about six miles east of Sevenoaks
and in this video we're going to be looking around the grounds
the gardens, the house, and of course the moat itself
So without further ado, let's go and explore Ightham Mote
So Ightham Mote is owned and operated by the National Trust
and I'm going to start off today's video by exploring the grounds
and I'll be popping up little labels so you can see where we are
so one of the attractions of Ightham Mote is its grounds and gardens
and throughout the video, I will show you what you can expect to see on your visit
and I'll also pop a link in the description so you can see how much it costs to visit Ightham Mote
and as you can see, you're positively encouraged to sit back, relax, and take it all in
to the north of the manor house is the North Pleasure Grounds, the Discovery Den
and the Natural Play Area
So to answer your question is Ightham Mote family-friendly? the answer is yes
Ightham Mote is really well maintained and it takes you on a voyager discovery
and one we'll discover as we make our way back towards the manor house
and you discover things like the Stumpery
and as we close in, we then find ourselves strolling through the orchard
planted out with many different varieties of apple tree
and then next you come across the cutting garden
full of wonderful flowers and a selection of fruit and vegetables grown on the estate
as we close in on the manor house we then come across the formal garden
and now time for a few facts about Ightham Mote
Now, it was built in around about 1340- ish
and its last private owner was Charles Henry Robinson from Portland Maine
who bought it in 1953. in his will, he left it to the nation and it passed a National Trust in 1985
and we enter via the central courtyard
and the first room we will visit will be the library
featuring a painting of Ightham Mote by none other than Sir Winston Churchill
the library was decorated in the 1950s for the last owner Mr Robinson
in a rather tasteful grey and gold colour scheme
you may also notice the occasional teddy bear sitting around
this is to keep the little ones amused, and no I didn't play along
the next room we come across is the outer hall
an ante-room leading to, you probably guessed it, the great hall
and is that another teddy bear I spot
damn I am playing along
and the great hall is very much of a Tudor/Stuart period
in fact, wandering through Ightham Mote is like stepping through time
different periods, this almost looks like a scene from Downton Abbey
and could This be from Upstairs/Downstairs
each room creates a scene, sets a tone for how it once was
again as you step through the building you come across parts of different periods
it's no time at all before you find yourself strolling into the crypt
we now journey upstairs and the first room we come across is the old chapel
a very simple and sparse affair
and now another of those teddies in the victorian bathroom, once again a very sparse affair
and now we come across the new chapel
built in around 1520, so I guess that makes the old chapel, very old
and now the drawing room
and as beautiful, and as tastefully as this is decorated, it just doesn't feel homely to me, what do you think?
and now leading us to the last room of the house is the apple store
Nope, I have no idea why, but that's what it says on the map
and this leads us on to the billiard room
again beautifully decorated, and wonderfully maintained, another slice of history
and we step out into the great courtyard again and I need to point out
the dog kennel which is a listed building in its own right
it's worth looking around here to imagine the dignitaries that
have walked through this cobbled great courtyard
stepping through the gatehouse we find ourselves on the stable courtyard
and I know we haven't seen the moat yet
don't worry we're getting there it'll just take a moment there's a couple of things I want to show you
for example, shhh, the secret garden
now you don't think I'm going to show you it, it is a secret after all
but we can wander along here and enjoy the beautiful plants and these borders
and if you take a fancy to them don't worry there's a selection available at the gift shop
now i'm going to show you this because it's not a secret
it's pretty elusive though
the enclosed garden
Now, you've been good, and you've waited long enough, here's the moat around the manor house
and if you're really observant you may start to notice raindrops in the water
this is a British summer's day after all
but that shouldn't put you off visiting Kent
as I said here's that gift shop
I think this is our first visit to Ightham Mote and we've had a fabulous day
ah for sure, we could have done with blue skies but
we feel like there's history around every corner and we love it for that
is this good enough reason for you to visit Kent?
let us know, we'd love to hear from you
so that brings this video to a close. I really hope you enjoy what we put together here
and if you do, give us a like, we'd really appreciate it, and why not subscribe so you catch more of our adventures
Thanks so much, stay safe, stay well, and happy travels