Exploring Kent's Past

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Monument details

Summary

Court Lodge has an 18th-century garden of 10 hectares (24 acres), associated with a country house of the same period.

A Victorian garden was laid out during the 19th century. An area of associated parkland was sold during the 1940s and is now used for the cultivation of soft and hard fruit.

Monument Types

• ORNAMENTAL LAKE (Post Medieval - 1700 AD? to 1875 AD?)
• PARK (Post Medieval to Modern - 1700 AD? to 1949 AD)
• DRIVE (Post Medieval to Modern - 1746 AD to 2050 AD)
• TREE AVENUE (Post Medieval to Modern - 1746 AD to 2050 AD)
• GARDEN (Post Medieval to Modern - 1850 AD? to 2050 AD)
• WALLED GARDEN (Post Medieval to Modern - 1850 AD? to 2050 AD)

Full description

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There is a semi-circular drive extending to either side of the main avenue. This is an avenue of limes and, until 1976, elms. Enclosed by this drive and a stone wall along the road is a small area of parkland with sheep, horses and cattle. Nearer the house are many ornamental trees, including a mature tulip tree, a copper beech and a mulberry.

A print dating from the early-19th century shows iron park railings surrounding the house and no garden, just parkland. There was also an ornamental lake directly to the east of the house.

This is the third house on this site. The present house dates from approximately 1780. An avenue of sweet chestnuts extends directly from the front of the house to the south-east of the road. The trees are about 250 years old (therefore, date from period of previous house on site). The 1987 storm damage affected some of these sweet chestnuts, and 3 large limes, 2 walnut trees, an oak and a horse chestnut.

Later in the 19th century a typical Victorian garden was created and maintained by five gardeners. Remnants of this are the wild walkways around the lake and the formal pattern of rose beds between the house and the lake, now laid to lawn. Behind the house and stable block is a farm complex (now separated from main house ownership) and two walled gardens. Down towards the river is an area which was supposedly the site of a medieval garden.

The former area of parkland out to the west was sold off in the late-1940s and early-195Os. It is now given over to the growing of soft and hard fruit, but parkland trees remain, protected by Tree Preservation Orders. This area is owned by Barham Court, Teston, on the opposite side of the river. (1)

In 2016, the impact of removal of some late 19th century outbuildings was considered. (2)

<1> Parks and Gardens Data Services Limited (PGDS), 2005, Parks and Gardens UK (www.parksandgardens.org) (Website). SKE16061.

<2> Beacon Planning, 2016, Heritage statement, Court Lodge Park, West Farleigh, Kent (Unpublished document). SKE32172.

Sources and further reading

Related records