Chiddingstone House, Chiddingstone Hoath

Kent. Sleeps up to 10

Guests staying at Chiddingstone House are in for a treat! This spectacular Grade II listed country house offers phenomenal entertaining spaces together with 5 sensational bedroom suites, all brimming with ancient nods from the past and plenty of character. This superb property brilliantly blends its ancient charms with luxurious, contemporary living. The house enjoys a superb elevated position in the quiet hamlet of Chiddingstone Hoath. It is set on a tranquil no-through road with far reaching countryside views across an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The hamlet is just 2.7 miles from the National Trust village of Chiddingstone and 2.9 miles from Penshurst, both boasting extraordinary stately homes, Chiddingstone Castle and Penshurst Place. Chiddingstone Causeway enjoys a village shop and pub 4.5 miles away and the gorgeous town of Edenbridge is just 5.5 miles away. The charming town of Tunbridge Wells is also close by. There are so many beautiful places to visit when staying at Chiddingstone House and the coast is only just over 40 miles away.

Chiddingstone House is ideal for large families or groups of friends. It boasts many characterful living spaces, each with their own charms. All of the ground floor rooms enjoy delightful garden views. The main living space offers a magnificent inglenook fireplace, beautiful beams and sumptuous furnishings, the perfect place to curl up with a good book or the Sunday newspapers in front of a roaring fire. The duel aspect snug and television room next door is equally beautiful, again with beams, squishy sofas and a feature fireplace with a wood burning stove. In addition to these two delights, there is a beautiful cinema room with the most enormous screen you have ever seen, a fabulous corner sofa and a sensational, characterful vaulted beamed ceiling. The ambience of this space from time gone by is absolutely magical. The cinema room will keep everyone entertained with the television, sound bar, games corner and its little bar area. You are totally spoiled for choice of entertaining spaces and even have two dining areas. Beyond the lounge, you will discover a gorgeous table with cobalt blue upholstered chairs in the dual aspect dining area and the kitchen enjoys another exceptional dining space.

Your very generous, bespoke kitchen boasts another incredible vaulted ceiling as well as heavenly, heated marble floor tiles, an electric Aga, a double butler sink, a Neff hob, a combination oven and microwave, a double American fridge with an ice dispenser, an espresso machine and granite work surfaces. There is plenty of space to store your wine for the week in the wine fridge and the chefs in your group will have no problem cooking up a storm in this marvellous space. There is a sociable breakfast bar where guests can keep the chef company and two sets of doors leading to the terrace. With these doors and many windows, the kitchen diner is drowned in natural light. The house’s built in sound system allows you to listen to your favourite songtracks while cooking.

One of the five bedrooms is located on the ground floor with a delightful, part vaulted ceiling, a comfy double bed and double doors to a courtyard. Its private bathroom enjoys a bathtub with a hand held shower. Even the entrance hall of Chiddingstone House is wondrous with a spectacular vaulted ceiling, as well as plenty of space for coats and boots!

On the first floor you will find two of the four remaining bedroom suites. They are dreamy havens with luxury linens and incredible character. The master enjoys a beautifully dressed super kingsize bed and wonderful views of the garden and fields at the back of the property. Its ensuite bathroom boasts a gorgeous rainfall wet room shower as well as a contemporary, doubles freestanding bath as well as views and beams. You will not want to be rushing in this luxurious space! The second bedroom offers a sumptuous double bed with a leather bed frame, blending well with the rich wooden floors and wooden beams. It enjoys a freestanding bath with a shower head in the characterful ensuite bathroom.

A half spiral, narrow, wooden staircase takes you to the second floor, splitting at the top for access to the two remaining bedrooms. Sitting in the eaves, they are magical bedroom suites with vaulted ceilings and lavish furnishings. Both enjoy ensuite shower rooms, one built into the side of the chimney breast. The larger of the rooms has a low beam across the centre of the room, adding yet more character and style. It enjoys fabulous garden views. The shower room offers a glass covered rainfall shower. Every guest staying at Chiddingstone House will adore their bedroom.

The landscaped gardens are beautiful and surround this wonderful house. There are flagstone paths, an alfresco dining and lounging terrace with gorgeous outdoor furniture, a rose arbour and a natural spring fed pond with an island and duck house, much to children’s delight. Chiddingstone House only ever receives rave reviews. It is simply astounding!

Chiddingstone Hoath is a beautiful village in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, close to the National Trust village of Chiddingstone and Penshurst. Both of these places offer beautiful stately homes. Chiddingstone Causeway, Edenbridge and Tunbridge Wells are close by. If you want to do a lot of shopping, you can also head into Sevenoaks. There are many footpaths and bridleways on the doorstop of this Grade II home together with a welcoming, pretty local pub. Walkers and cyclists love the area, as do golfers with their wide choice of courses including Hever, Tunbridge Wells and Ashdown Forest. The house enjoys a wonderful position where you can enjoy gorgeous countryside and easily reach motorways to visit much of Kent, Surrey, Sussex and the coast.  

Edenbridge sits on the Kent/Surrey border in the historic heart of the Eden valley, between the High Weald and the North Downs. It was the building of Eadenhelms Bridge in the tenth century that gave the town and valley their names. There is a wonderful selection of medieval buildings, coaching inns, courtyards, the Eden Valley Museum and some good shops. It holds a monthly farmers market and is home to one of the oldest bonfire celebrations in the country.

The magnificent Hever Castle, at Hever, just outside Edenbridge, enjoys a history spanning more than 700 years. The original medieval castle was built in 1270 and in the 15th and 16th centuries was home to the one of the most powerful families in the country, the Boleyns, who added the Tudor dwelling within the castle walls. The castle is famous for becoming the childhood home of Anne Boleyn, King Henry VIII’s second wife who became Queen for just 1000 days. Hever passed into the ownership of Anne of Cleves and from 1557 it was owned by a numer of families. Today it is magnificent with glorious rooms open to the public, many events and wonderful trails and activities in the stunning grounds.

Penshurst Place offers another wonderful visit. The 14th century manor house, once the property of King Henry VIII was left to his son King Edward VI and granted to Sir William Sidney in 1552. It has remained in the Sidney family and is a stunning family house with truly remarkable gardens, well worth a visit.

There are many Kent delights to explore and enjoy, including the fabulous gardens at Sissinghurst, the Biddenden Vineyards, The Chapel Down Vineyard at Tenterden, the Rare Breeds Centre in Woodchurch and Smarden’s Big Cat Sanctuary. Sissinghurst Castle Garden is historic, poetic, iconic, a refuge dedicated to beauty. Vita Sackville-West, poet and writer and Harold Nicolson, her diplomat and author husband, fell in love with Sissinghurst Castle and created the famous gardens. Harold’s architectural garden planning and Vita’s colourful, abundant planting reflect the romance and intimacy of her writing. Sissinghurst Castle Garden was the backdrop of a colourful history from a time as a prison in the 1700’s to a home for the women’s land army. The gardens are so popular entry is by timed ticket so you need to plan in advance.

Wine lovers are thoroughly spoilt in this area. The most famous vineyard is the Chapel Down Vineyard, close to the picturesque market town of Tenterden. It is open to visitors throughout the year. You can enjoy tastings, tours and masterclasses. It is a wonderful day out though you may have to draw straws to see who is driving. Also popular are the Biddenden Vineyard, the Mount Vineyard, the Hush Heath Winery, the Chartham Vineyard and the Terlingham Vineyard.

The characterful town of Rye, a medieval citadel huddled against invaders and sea, is home to a myriad of art, curiosities, boutique hotels, trendy restaurants and cosy pubs. Built of smuggled secrets and timeless tale, Rye has plenty of nooks and crannies to explore and distant views across Romney Marsh to ponder.