Lamberhurst - (Scotney Castle and Gardens)

General Details

Lamberhurst in Kent is found about 10 miles to the East of Royal Tunbridge Wells on the busy A21, the main London to Hastings road.

The first record of Lamberhurst is in Saxon times during 998 when the church was consecrated, but this was probably a wooden structure. The current church was started in the 14th century, and the tower in the 15th century.

Lamberhurst was once central to the Wealden Iron Industry, and was a main coaching stop on the long ride from London to Hastings.

Scotney Castle lies on the south east side of the village, it was built in the 14th century by Rodger de Ashburnham , it features a beautiful round tower, the ruins of a Tudor house, and is surrounded by a moat filled with water lilies.

On the western edge of Lamberhurst is 'The Owl House'. Built in the 16th century it is tile hung and half-timbered. It was named because of its association with wool smugglers , known in those days as owlers . It has lovely gardens which include rhododendrons, azaleas and rare shrubs, and is open to the public.

Thomas Hussey bought Lamberhurst furnace known as Gloucester Forge - named after a visit by the Duke of Gloucester. The forge became one of the most famous Wealden ironworks , being the main contractor for supplying railings for St Pauls Cathedral.

In 1976 the Dean and Chapter of St Pauls returned a section of the railing to be preserved in the village by the Village Hall.

In the churchyard can be seen a couple of examples of the terracotta grave plaques by Heathfield stonemason Jonathan Harmer .

In 1837 - 1843 a new house was built in the grounds of Scotney Castle by Edward Hussey, using stone quarried there.

He also laid out the gardens, and used the quarried area to create a charming Alpine style garden.

Until 1894 the Kent and East Sussex boundary ran through the village, when it was decided that the village must belong to either one county or the other. As hop growing was the main industry of the day, and hops in Kent were fetching a better price than in Sussex, Lamberhurst became part of Kent.

Other nearby attractions are Bayham Abbey one of the most complete monastic ruins in the South of England, and Bewl Bridge Reservoir which now hosts sailing, fishing and many other activities.

Views

Scotney Castle is beautiful, and is run by the National Trust so is open many days in the year. The Owl house is very pretty, and well worth a visit.

The view across the farmland from the churchyard is unspoilt and very remenicent of the TV program the Darling Buds of May.

The Resevoir at Bewl Bridge has a 15 mile walk around the water and has many wild fowl, and other interesting animals in the vicinity.

Services

Lamberhurst in Kent is on the main A21 London to Hastings road, and for this reason there are a number of Public Houses in the village. A few shops still remain off the A21, which provide the necessities.

The nearest trains run from Bells Yew Green about 5 miles to the West.

The nearest shopping centre is Royal Tunbridge Wells about 7 miles to the west.

Map

Lamberhurst is shown as the red symbol on the map.

Nearby Villages
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