Igtham Mote.
This idyllic medieval Manor House, is situated in the “The Garden of England” commonly known as, Kent. We went by car for a little afternoon drive out, normally on Saturdays we tend not to do much due to most places being very busy, especially being the summer holidays. From central London it was only an hour, making it a lovely little trip out.
I’ve wanted to visit this place for a long time, from seeing it on social media and documentaries and arriving there did not disappoint. The manor was like something from a fairytale, with its moat, stone tower and wattle and daub walls and traditional English country gardens.
Arriving there, the staff were so friendly, asking if we’ve been before, as always, it is owned by the national trust, who are always super welcoming. I did ask how to pronounce the name, “Igtham” and its pronounced (phonetically) Item.
Quick facts: It was built in 1340 as a Manor House.
It is important in terms of architecture, being grade I listed and parts of it are a scheduled ancient monument, due to many parts of the buildings being so well preserved.
The construction is of Kentish ragstone and dull red brick.
The inner courtyard of the Manor House.
Above are some images from the interior of the Manor House. It shows range of living areas from original wood beamed ceilings to Tudor fireplaces. Right up to the early 20th century sitting rooms and library. As I mentioned before about the national trust, there are plenty of staff around the buildings to give you information, there to ask questions, along with reading guides too. The courtyard was immensely bucolic, with climbing roses and stone arched door ways, cobbled footpath and timber windows, any Anglophiles dream.
The old stable block faces the entrance to the house, with a second hand bookshop inside,
Alongside the Manor House, are acres of land, with lakes and ponds and plenty of places to spend the day with a picnic and the kids as they also have a large playground for them, but we stayed away from the playground and went for a more quiet walk around the gardens.
There is also a beautiful a beautiful orchard and walled garden to stroll around, take in the smells, noise and the buzz of wildlife in this little haven. We visited about 2pm and it wasn’t too busy, as I’m assuming that most people came early and you could see people were becoming less and less, meaning it was rather tranquil towards the late afternoon, especially sitting in the cafe, having a little bite to eat.
Be sure to check their website for opening times and events, especially for this summer for activities to do with the kids. Be aware also, that to start off with is a substantial slope down to the actual Manor House, but there is a free trolley bus to take you down and then back up once you have finished.
https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/ightham-mote