Stoneacre, Otham Kent

Stoneacre, the back of the building, looking lovely in the March sunshine :)

The front of the house.

Back in March we visited the National Trust property of of Stoneacre in Otham near Maidstone in Kent. It is a fascinating building, especially as it has a lot of additions from various other buildings.

The building is a yeoman farmers house dating from the 15th Century. By the 1920's the building was a ruin and was bought by Aymer Vallance, who restored the building with the intention of turning it back to  a Tudor yeoman's dwelling.

The great hall had been altered many times throughout the buildings life, a ceiling was built across the hall to allow two extra bedrooms above. Aymer Vallance took out the two bedrooms and the ceiling to allow the hall to reach up to the roof.

The fireplace in the Great Hall, not the original. This fireplace was taken from The George Public House in Sittingbourne.

The  Crown post in the hall. 

The fireplace in the hall, rescued from The George Public House in Sittingbourne.

A beautiful copper plate, one of a number of plates, six of which are  ranged along the mantlepiece in the hall.

A gorgeous dragon carving in the fireplace.

Above and below are lovely hearth tiles.

One of the many stained glass windows in the building, many of them designed by Aymer Vallance.

The Parlour, a lovely room :)

This amazing spiral staircase was an addition by Aymer Vallance. Unless you knew it was a later addition you would think it had always been in this position. Like the fireplace in the drawing room the staircase and turret came from North Bore Place  and was added to the building when the North Wing was added in the 1920's.

The main bedroom of the house is in the Solar, situated over the Drawing Room below.

More beautiful stained glass windows in the bedroom.

A beautiful cupboard in the bedroom.

A lovely sampler on show at the top of the staircase.

Back in the Parlour, the fireplace, rescued from North Bore Place is a false one with no chimney attached to it.

The courtyard at the rear of the building.

The dining room

Lovely stained glass in this room too :)

Outside, the rear of the building, with the beautiful gardens beyond.

Gorgeous weathervane :)

The back of the building showing the octagonal tower which houses the spiral staircase.

The original Front Door, restored to its proper position by Aymer Vallance.

I had to finish with another photo of the house taken from the garden. Although the house is quite small it is lovely. I think I could easily move in there!