I visited the Grade I listed medieval moated mansion known as Ightham Mote in July. The mansion is located in Kent and is owned by the National Trust. This is my first proper visit; I had originally visited the mansion over Christmas in 2019 to see the house decorated for the season, but the upstairs and some of the other rooms were closed off, and the house was too busy to have a proper look. The rooms are fairly small in this mansion, so it can be a bit difficult seeing all that it has to offer. However, on this visit, I arrived in time to hear a little bit of history of the house before going in to have a look.
Ightham moat dates from around the middle of the 1300s, and it changed family a few time before it became in dire need of repairs. It was purchased, and then sold again when the buyers realised how much work it required. It was purchased by an American man who had visited it as a child in the 1900s, and he restored it. It was later given to the National Trust, who also spent a lot of money repairing it. The visitor centre has some information about the repairs and excavations on site.
There is a short walk down to the mansion from the parking and visitor centre, and the mansion comes into view in part timber-frame and stone, surrounded by a moat. The entrance is around the front.
The first time I visited was in December a few years ago, so visiting the estate in the summer was different, and I enjoyed a wander around the gardens. The stable building was constructed at a later date and was originally constructed with three sides with an internal courtyard. It was used for guests and the staff.
The front of Ightham Mote from the courtyard of the stables. I'd just checked out the second hand bookstore and then waited for the talk about the history of the house.
I didn't go straight into the mansion as quit a large group had arrived, so I wandered around the garden first so that I could later enjoy the house without too many people around. There were some lovely flowers and views of the mansion.
I walked to the end of the garden in a little walk with views over the house and a lake.
I headed over the bridge into courtyard to take a look inside Ightham Mote. It has a little courtyard with clock, and one of the doorways leads off to a billiards room, and the other leads off to the main house through the Great Hall.
The Great Hall. There were freshly-cut flowers in some of the rooms, which was a nice touch.
The room off the Great Hall.
The Butler's Pantry. A locked safe would have stored more expensive items.
The crypt.
Upstairs in the house...
A beautiful carved fireplace.
A bedroom.
The chapel with its stained glass windows. The bottom panels were put in afterwards.
This large room was separated into two parts and functioned as a music room and games room.
The fireplace was ordered from a catalog.
The library was located back down the stairs, and it was one room that was originally separated into multiple rooms. It was simpified by painting in a neutral grey.
Back out into the courtyard, I went to check out the billards room.
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