TUNBRIDGE WELLS DISTRICT
STATELY HOUSES, CASTLES & TOWERS
Various Stately homes, Country houses, Castles and Towers still exist around our county of Kent and in among the history, some are rumoured to be haunted. These include Sir Winston Churchill and Charles Darwin among others. there is also a few lesser known treasures which have their own surprises in store. check out what we found so far for the District of Tunbridge Wells.
It should not be assumed that these sites are all publicly accessible and may be on private property. Please check first and get permission, if necessary....Do not trespass!
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If we have missed any out or you hear of any reports of Paranormal Activity at any of the ruins or the castles that arent reported here, please get in touch. Thankyou
SALOMONS ESTATE - BROOMHILL RD, TUNBRIDGE WELLS TN3
The Estate is situated within the countryside at the back of Southborough in Tunbridge Wells and was constructed by Decimus Burton for Sir David Salomon, it was the first house in Britain to use domestic electricity.
Three generations of the Salomons family lived at the Salomons estate during their lifetime. Sir David Salomons and his wife Jeannette (née Cohen) his nephew, Sir David Lionel Salomons, and his wife Laura (née de Stern) and their children: Maud, Sybil, David Reginald, Vera and Ethel
Sir David Salomons was born in 1797 in Bury St. London. The family were Ashkenazi Jewish, and had arrived in London from the Netherlands early in the 18th century, attracted by the financial opportunities in the developing British economy.
In 1825 David married Jeannette Cohen.
In 1829, with life prospering, he took a lease on a home near Tunbridge Wells called Broomhill Cottage. Two years later, he bought an estate in Groombridge, where they built a new home called Burrswood.
In 1839 became the first Jewish Sheriff of the City of London.
In the meantime, he trained as a lawyer and was called to the bar in 1849, though he did not practice as a barrister. However, he was the first Jewish magistrate in England.
In the early 1850s, He sold Burrswood and re-developed the Broomhill estate, building a new house and designing the grounds. Unlike Burrswood, which was a working estate, it was a place of retreat.
David and Jeannette could not have any children, which seemed to occur on Jeanette's side of the family, as her Aunt had the same problem. She did take in an orphaned cousin, Clara Phillips, though, who lived with her and David.
David's public career was flourishing, in 1855, the Aldermen elected him as Lord Mayor of London. Sadly Jeannette's health deteriorated and by the 1860s she was getting worse. Jeannette spent time at a care home in Blackheath, followed by a residency at the asylum in Ticehurst. She died in 1867, while she was in the care of Ticehurst, at St Leonards, a house they used for their patients.
Philip Salomons was David's elder brother. He had emigrated to America as a young man but later returned, and eventually made his home in Brighton at Brunswick Terrace.
In 1850 he married Emma Abigail Montefiore, he was 54, she was 18. They had three children: David Lionel (b.1851), Laura Matilda (b.1853), and Stella Rosalind Jeannette (b.1855). A second son, Philip Montefiore, died as an infant and then Emma died in 1859 at age 26. The children aged just 4, 6 & 8 when they lost her and they increasingly began to spend more time with their uncle David. Philip died in 1867, the same year as David's wife and the children moved in full-time with David.
David remarried in 1872, Cecilia Salomons Nee Samuels was a cousin of Jeannette's and the widow of one of his cousins but the marriage was short lived as David died the following year in 1873. After David died, Cecilia moved to their London house.
David's nephew David Lionel Goldsmid-Stern-Salomons inherited Broomhill and the baronetcy and that same year David Lionel also graduated in Natural Sciences at Cambridge and was called to the bar by the Middle Temple the following year.
Another event in 1873, David Lionel's sister Laura married Edward Lucas, a cotton merchant. They lived in Bayswater.
In 1877 his other sister Stella married George Paget, a stockbroker, and they also lived in Bayswater. Stella later returned to Broomhill and lived in Oak Lodge at the entrance to the Salomons Estate.
David Lionel had an interest in science and technology and set about extending Broomhill. He constructed the tower for use as an astronomical observatory and built a photographic studio and darkroom, and extensive workshops. He was a very early adopter of electricity generated on-site.
He also contributed to the social life of the area, hosting balls and events at the estate.
By 1880 he was Justice of the peace, Deputy Lieutenant, Sheriff of Kent, mayor and alderman of Tunbridge Wells.
In 1882 David Lionel married Laura de Stern.
David and Laura had five children: Maud Julia (b.1883), Sybil Gwendolen (1884), David Reginald Hermon Phillip (Reggie) (1885), Vera Frances (1888), and Ethel Dorothy (1892).
With the household increasing, this meant that the house needed extending, so in the late 1800s, the East Wing, second floor, and the main block were built.
Amongst the family, there was the Domestic staff household consisting of Children's Governess, indoor staff, estate staff (including gardeners), coachmen, grooms, stable boys, then chauffeurs and mechanics when the Motor car came along. Many of whom would have been live-in positions.
David continued his research into electricity and photography, moving into new areas such as X-rays and radio. The Broomhill visitor's book sees recorded visits by prominent scientists, such as Lord Kelvin and Joseph Swan, inventor of the electric light bulb. David also hosted visits by the local photographic society.
David Lionel was very active throughout the 1890s. He designed and built a new stable, later developing a great interest in motor cars. As mayor of Tunbridge Wells in 1895, he organized the world's first motor-show.
On the site of the original stables, he later built a theatre. Intended for scientific lectures and experiments, but realized the theatre itself offered great scope for technological innovation, lighting, projection, and the electrical operation of curtains, blinds, etc. His innovations continued into the new century.
In 1899 tragedy struck at the estate again, when their daughter Sybil died, aged 15. She was buried see in what became the family's private burial ground behind the evangelical chapel opposite Broomhill Bank.
Then came First World War and more sadness hits the family in the final years. The security situation in the years before led to the creation of a Territorial Force in 1908. David Lionel became an honorary colonel and encouraged the creation of a local unit of the Kent (Fortress) Royal Engineers. His son Reggie had been visiting a cousin in Japan and upon his return to England, he became involved with the Territorial movement and the setting up and training of cadet companies. In 1912 Reggie was appointed a captain in the Royal Engineers and attached to the 1/3 Kent Field Co. Royal Engineers. The role of the Territorials had was as the defence of Britain but then in the First World War, they eventually got used for service overseas. It was while serving with this unit that Reggie died at Gallipoli, in the HMS Hythe Disaster which led to the loss of 155 men's lives and Reggie Salomons was one of them. He had refused to leave the ship until all his men were safe, giving his life jacket away and his body, among others was never recovered. Not only a tragedy for the Salomons family but the town too, because most of those lost were from local families in Southborough, High Brooms, and Tunbridge Wells. Several pairs of brothers. A father and son drowned together. Some 99 children lost a father.
After the War Sir David Lionel put all his time into building his library.
David Lionel died in 1925 and Laura 10 years later in 1935, the same year as their daughter Maud, followed by Ethel in 1937.
Vera was the only one of her generation left and wanted to venture abroad, so in 1938 she donated Broomhill to Kent County Council as a memorial to her brother, father, and great-uncle.
The country house has now been changed into a series of flexible function rooms for hire and the Salomons Museum has been Formed from two ground floor rooms and packed with fascinating exhibits that chart the history of the Salomons family. There is also Pub Dining on the grounds.
It is also a part of Markerstudy Group and is a centre for postgraduate training, research, and consultancy.
Hauntings
No record of Paranormal Investigations and no evidence of hauntings or ghosts have been found by GofEPS.
I have heard stories from locals, that have worked or visited there at some point over the years, who have seen or heard something strange happen, some just getting the eerie feeling and is it any wonder, with the history of sadness that the family endured, there is bound to be some residual energy stuck within the walls.
So maybe in the future, the Salomons estate will be open to letting someone in to investigate to see if things are really going bump in the night.
SISSINGHURST CASTLE GARDEN - BIDDENDEN RD, CRANBROOK TN17
Situated at Sissinghurst village. It is among the most famous gardens in England and is a grade I listed site.
The site that Sissinghurst Castle Garden sits on, was once a Saxon pig farm, it would have been originally called 'Saxenhurst', with 'hurst' having meant woodland.
A manor house with a three-armed moat was built here in the Middle Ages. In 1305, it is said that King Edward I spent a night here. It was long thought that in 1490 Thomas Baker, a man from Cranbrook, purchased Sissinghurst, although there is no evidence for it. What is certain is that the house was given a new brick gatehouse in the 1530s by Sir John Baker, one of Henry VIII's Privy Councillors, and When Queen Mary came to the throne in 1553, Sir John is also Chancellor of the Exchequer and he retains these roles throughout her reign. It is during this time that Sir John acquires the acronym "Bloody Baker" for his role in the persecution of reformers - in particular John Bland, Vicar of Adisham and Edmund Allin, a miller from Frittenden - who was subsequently condemned to death. There is some controversy over the extent of Sir John Baker's role but over the years the Bloody Baker name has stuck.
It was greatly enlarged in the 1560s by his son Sir Richard Baker, when it became the center of a 700-acre deer park. In August 1573 Queen Elizabeth I spent three nights there.
After the collapse of the Baker family in the late 17th century, the building had many uses, as a prisoner-of-war camp during the Seven Years' War. The Tudor buildings were used as a prison for up to 3,000 French sailors who were captured by the between 1756 - 63. Held for months at a time in vile, stinking conditions, the prisoners lived in 'cells' with little access to fresh air, clean water or adequate food supplies.
This was followed by use as the workhouse for the Cranbrook Union, after which it then became homes for farm laborers. Around 100 men were offered housing, employment, and food. The owners repaired many of the buildings, their legacy is apparent even today, on the weather vanes, you can see the markings MC 1839. The inmates worked the farm which became profitable for the local parish. When the estate reverted back to the Cornwallis family in 1855 it was the beginning of a great period of Victorian 'high farming,' and the Sissinghurst farm was deemed to be the best on the whole of the substantial Cornwallis estate.
In 1930, Vita Sackville-West, poet and gardening writer, and her husband Harold Nicolson, author and diplomat, found Sissinghurst, after concern that their property Long Barn, near Sevenoaks, Kent, was too close to some development over which they had no control. Although Sissinghurst was derelict, they purchased the ruins and the farm around it and began constructing the garden we know today. The buildings were being used to house farm workers, the current famous garden had yet to be laid out and was mostly growing vegetables for the workers. The surrounding farm was growing cereals as well as having well-established orchards and hop gardens. The layout by Nicolson and planting by Sackville-West were both strongly influenced by other gardens like the one owned by Gertrude Jekyll and Edwin Lutyens, at the Cothay Manor in Somerset, laid out by Nicolson's friend Reginald Cooper, and described by one garden writer as the "Sissinghurst of the West Country" and by Hidcote Manor Garden, designed and owned by Lawrence Johnston, which Sackville-West helped to preserve. Sissinghurst was first opened to the public in 1938. The National Trust took over the whole of Sissinghurst, its garden, farm, and buildings, in 1967.
The Women's Land Army took over during the Second World War and kept the farm going. Vita Sackville-West was heavily involved in the organization and welfare of the WLA in Kent.
After Vita's death in 1962, Harold decided that Vita's beloved Sissinghurst should be given over to the care of the National Trust and they started taking care of it in 1967.
HAUNTINGS
There have been reports of the garden is home to a peaceful spirit of a monk, said to be killed by Sir John Baker, (the Executioner nicknamed the bloody Baker) during his reforms of religions. John Baker married Katherine, daughter of Richard Sackville and he resided at the gardens for a time
Footsteps have been heard walking around, by visitors to the gardens.
SCOTNEY CASTLE - LAMBERHURST, TUNBRIDGE WELLS TN3
By Charters relating to the Priory of Hastings, it appears that "Walter Fitz Lambert, who, at the time of the Domesday Survey, held Crowhurst of the Count of Eu, and was an ancestor of Walter and Peter de Scotenie, and that the arms of the latter on his seal were, On a bend, within a bordure indented, three billets. Lambert de Scotenie held this Castle during 1168-119. His successor was Walter de Scoteni, but in 1259, he was tried and hanged, at Winchester, after being persuaded by William de Valence to administer poison to Richard, Earl of Gloucester and William de Clare, his brother, the latter of whom died, along with many other people, however the Earl escaped death, but did lose his hair, teeth and fingernails.
Scotney Castle seems, however, to have continued in this family until about the 1350's in the reign of Edward III. This family name gave the castle it’s title of 'Scotney'
The land then passed to Roger de Ashburnham, Conservator of the Peace in Kent and Sussex and in 1377. French ships raided the Sussex coast, causing widespread damage and panic among the local population, he decided to build a castle to guard against the threat of further invasions. He chose a site on the River Bewl, at the bottom of a wooded valley just south of Lamberhurst, and there he built a quadrangular castle on a pair of islands, surrounded by a wide moat. The moat also encloses a outer courtyard and the stumpy remains of a ruined gatehouse (now known as old Scotney Castle)
One one of the original four towers still stands, topped with a later conical roof and bristling with machicolations. It is possible that the quadrangular castle was never actually finished, and what we see today is a large part of the completed structure. The south tower we see today was recorded as the only tower standing in 1558.
The tower is connected to a later Elizabethan manor, built by the Darrell family. Thomas Darrell owned the castle in the late 16th century, at a a time when Catholicism was illegal. Father Richard Blount, a Jesuit missionary and the family priest at the castle from 1591 to 1598, conducted secret services for the Catholics in Kent. At Christmas in 1598, Father Blount’s presence was betrayed. The authorities took up residence in the castle and conducted rigorous searches of the manor and property. During a terrible storm and with help from the servants, Father Blount escaped his hiding place and jumped into the moat. He was never caught.
An east range was built by William Darrell around 1630, possibly to a design by Inigo Jones. Darrell had most of the medieval castle pulled down and connected his new house to the surving tower. The manor followed the same route to decay as the medieval castle, and together they form the centrepiece of a magnificent hillside garden.
It has been told that Arthur Darrell lived in the castle and was a smuggler. It was reported that Darrell fled abroad from Scotney after several raids by revenue officers, had resulted in fighting and he faked his own death, so he could return home and carry on his illegal trade. In 1720 'his body' was returned to the estate for burial. It is said that as the coffin was lowered into the ground a tall stranger in a black cloak whispered, “That is not me they think they are burying.” The stranger was never seen again. His Deception was however said to have been discovered by one infortunate customs officer, who was killed by Darrell, during an inspection and his body was disposed of in the moat at Scotney.
In 1778 Edward Hussey bought Scotney from the Darrell family. Between 1835 and 1843 his grandson, also named Edward, called in an architect to create a new Victorian mansion at the top of the hill, looking out across the valley towards the riverside ruins. This is known as 'Scotney New Castle', or simply 'Scotney Castle'
In 1924, a story goes that Arthur Darrell’s iron studded coffin in the Scotney Chapel at St Mary’s Church in Lamberhurst, was opened by the sexton. The coffin was filled with rocks! which fuelled the story of his faked death.
The picturesque view was accentuated by quarrying away part of the hillside for building stone. One unexpected treasure lurks in the quarry, the footprint of an iguanodon, left here over 100 million years ago.
Hussey planted a profusion of trees, and masses of azaleas and rhodedendrons, so that Scotney is a blaze of colour in early summer. His descendent, Christopher hussey, left the estate to the National Trust, and the Trust has its regional headquarters here. Several apartments in the castle and on the estate were let out by the Trust, with tenants including Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher who rented the Belfry flat for a time during the 70's & 80s, when it served as a weekend escape for her from Westminster life.
Following the death of the resident, Elizabeth Hussey, in 2006, this house was opened to the public for the first time on 6 June 2007.
The estate stretches to 770 acres, with trails through the hillside gardens and through lovely woodland. It is a beautiful location; the garden is a tranquil place and the views across the wooded valley are amazing.
HAUNTINGS
Some say the ghost of Walter de Scoteni walks the castle remains, where eerie whisperings and ghostly footsteps are heard.
Another Is the ghostly figure, seen dripping wet, could possibly be that of Father Blount returning to the castle to dry off and carry on with his services or is it that of the revenue collector rising from the murky depths of the moat, and taking the pathway which leads to the front door of the old castle, said to bang on the door seeking revenge on the long gone spirit of Arthur Darrell.
Arthur Darrell's body was buried near the castle. According to legend his ghost turned up to his own funeral, saying 'That isn't me!' before vanishing.