Next in this series is Scotney Castle, which narrowly avoids East Sussex to land in Kent. When most people think of Scotney, they probably think this:
Instead I’m going to concentrate on the house up the hill.
It’s chock-a-block with the usual paintings
The horsey set considers an offer
Old photographs
old books
and bells to remind you who was in charge.
As you wander from well-appointed room
to room
Dinner for 10? Not feeling sociable today, Sir?
you can almost imagine living there, including the helpful volunteer staff on hand to answer any questions, like Google. It also gives you ideas for your own cheerful hovel. For example, I’d love to have one of these
to coddle my favourites. The pantry is definitely better stocked than ours
including sugar cubes for the horses.
Margaret Thatcher rented rooms on the estate for years, possibly to be close to Disgusted down the road in Tunbridge Wells. (Denis also liked a nearby golf course, according to one of the volunteers.) Wikipedia says the flat she was installed in was called the Belfry, which is such an obvious setup for a joke it would be unsportsmanlike to go there. I don’t think she was on an Assured Shorthold Tenancy, either.