Ightham Mote

Ightham Mote (we still don't know how to pronounce the name) is a 14th century manor house set in a deep wooded valley. The walls of the house rise sheer from a surrounding moat and access to the house is granted via a narrow, hump-backed stone bridge. The house is built around three courtyards and despite many later alterations it has maintained its medieval appearance, from the old wooden entrance door to the half-timbered upper storey which projects from the facade and leans over the moat at various points.

The rooms span many centuries. We discovered, perhaps after visiting Standen and having its fireplaces pointed out to us, that Ightham Mote has a spectacular array of fireplaces, all distinctive, many stunningly beautiful. In the drawing room, for instance, a magnificent Jacobean fireplace painted in black and gold fills one entire end of the room.

According to some sources, the garden is laid out in a consciously old-fashioned pattern, thanks to the influence of William Morris and the Arts and Crafts movement and specifically the late-19th century's idea of the Middle Ages. Kassie preferred the enclosed garden and I the cutting garden with its interesting (and no doubt expert) intermingling of herbs and vegetables. John was fascinated by the moat.

Date of Our Last Visit: July 2003