Scotney Castle is a National Trust property near Lamberhurst  in Kent. As well as extensive grounds there are two properties to enjoy, the ruined castle and the house pictured above. The house was designed by Anthony Salvin and built between 1835 and 1843.  The last resident Elizabeth Hussey died in 2006 and the house was opened to the public shortly after. Elizabeth’s cat still lives there.

The house was built using local materials. Within the sandstone quarry nearby a dinosaurs footprint and other fossils have been found. Some of the old castle was also used for the new construction.

The old Scotney Castle lies in the valley below the new house. The name of the place probably derived from Walter and Peter De Scotenie. The family can be traced back to Normandy, so were clearly descendants of William the Conquerors army. Walter De Scotenie is notable for having served with King Richard 1 on the 3rd Crusade. At some point on his return to England De Scotenie was found guilty of poisoning the Earl of Gloucester and promptly executed in 1259. I always like how the English language manages to take the Gallic out of place names.

In more recent times the band Squeeze recorded the video to their single ‘Some Fantastic Place‘. The song title describes the property perfectly when the weather is as good as it was on this day.

You can view each of these pictures full size on my Flickr page by clicking on them.