Scotney Castle facts for kids
Scotney Castle is a beautiful country house with amazing gardens in Kent, England. It's located near Lamberhurst, in the valley of the River Bewl. This special place is looked after by the National Trust, an organization that protects historic sites and natural beauty.
The gardens at Scotney Castle are famous for their beauty and are open for everyone to visit. They are even a Site of Special Scientific Interest, which means they are important for nature. The most exciting part of the gardens is the ruins of an old, medieval castle called Scotney Old Castle. It sits on an island in the middle of a small lake! The lake is surrounded by hills and trees, with lots of colorful flowers like rhododendrons and azaleas in spring, and beautiful wisteria and roses in summer. In autumn, the leaves turn spectacular colors.
Higher up in the garden, there's a newer house called Scotney New Castle. It was built between 1835 and 1843 to replace the old castle. A famous architect named Anthony Salvin designed it. This house looks a bit like the old Tudor style, but in a new way for the 1800s. The New Castle was opened to the public in 2007, after the last family member living there, Elizabeth Hussey, passed away.
Where to Find Scotney Castle
Scotney Castle is in the south-east of England, in a county called Kent. The small villages of Lamberhurst and Kilndown are nearby. The closest big town is Royal Tunbridge Wells, which is about 3.5 miles away. Even though a main road (the A21) goes past the castle grounds, you can't see or hear it from the castle itself, making it a peaceful spot.
Scotney Castle's History
The first time Scotney Castle was mentioned in records was in 1137, when Lambert de Scoteni owned the land. A person named Roger Ashburnham is thought to have built the first castle around 1378–1380.
The original castle was planned as a strong, rectangular house with towers at each corner. However, it might never have been fully finished. By 1558, it seems only the southern tower was still standing. In 1580, the south part of the castle was rebuilt in the style of the Elizabethan era. Around 1630, the eastern part was rebuilt in a grander style by Inigo Jones. The Elizabethan part of the castle was used as a home for a manager until 1905. But the eastern part was partly taken down when the new house was finished in 1843, leaving the old castle as a beautiful ruin in the garden.
A former owner, Thomas Darrell, was a Roman Catholic at a time when practicing Catholicism was against the law in England. He secretly hid a Jesuit priest named Richard Blount, S.J. at the castle from 1591 to 1598. The priest helped other Catholics in the area. During one raid by the authorities trying to arrest the priest, he managed to escape by jumping over a wall into the moat!
The Darrell family owned Scotney for about 350 years. In 1778, Edward Hussey bought the estate. His grandson, also named Edward, built the 'new' Castle. He used sandstone from a quarry right on the property. This quarry then became a special garden called the Quarry Garden. Inside this garden, you can even see a 100-million-year-old dinosaur footprint!
When Christopher Hussey passed away in 1970, he left the entire estate to the National Trust. The Trust rented out some apartments in the castle and on the estate. One famous tenant was Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, who rented a flat there in the 1970s and 1980s. She used it as a quiet place to escape from her busy life in London. When her husband, Denis Thatcher, received a special title in 1990, it was linked to Scotney, showing its importance.
The castle grounds have also been used for outdoor Shakespeare plays, like A Midsummer Night's Dream. The actors would even appear from behind the bushes, making the plays extra magical!
The old Scotney Castle was also featured in the music video for the Squeeze song Some Fantastic Place.
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