16 bedroom house

A truly magnificent property in a landscape of extraordinary beauty, Grade I listed Chilham Castle is unquestionably one of the finest houses in the south-east of England. In remarkable condition, not only is it architecturally outstanding, it is also an exceptionally comfortable family home.

From the moment you drive through the front gate, flanked by the entrance lodges, you get a glimpse of the east front of Chilham Castle and soon realise you are arriving at a very special place. The drive sweeps up to a large gravelled parking area from which you get the first sense of the outstanding setting of the castle and you soon appreciate that Chilham Castle is unique.
The Castle is entered through an impressive front door and lobby, into the beautiful entrance hall with its large fireplace and exquisite plasterwork ceiling.
Throughout the castle are beautiful period features giving the house huge character. However, its greatest attribute is its ability to act as a wonderful family home and also the perfect house for large scale entertaining.
The ground floor has a range of impressive formal reception rooms including the morning room, library, study, card room and dining room, along with kitchen, family areas, domestic offices and the striking 1920's marble indoor swimming pool.
The first floor drawing room is a hugely striking room. Adjacent is a fantastic master bedroom suite with a sitting room, dressing room and two bathrooms. In addition, on the first floor are 5 ensuite bedrooms and a TV room. The second floor has a large studio room along with 2 ensuite guest bedrooms and two 3 bedroom wings with family bathrooms. There is also a two bedroom staff flat, extensive domestic offices and large cellars. From many of the principal rooms and bedrooms, there are the most amazing views over the gardens and historic parkland.
A significant feature at Chilham are the stunning gardens with wonderful terraced lawns, herbaceous borders and topiary to the south of the house which have unrivalled view over the parkland and lake below.
Adjacent to the terraces is the enclosed statue garden with a large kitchen garden and associated buildings and glasshouses beyond.
Below the kitchen garden are the two Astroturf tennis courts set at 90° to each other to allow play regardless of the position of the sun. Beyond the tennis courts is a lovely arboretum like walk and former rockery which leads down to the large 3 acre lake with boathouse and former cricket pitch adjacent. From the lake, there are breath-taking views back up to the castle with the Taittinger planted vineyard below the terraces.
To the west of the castle, the expansive lawns lead out to the ha-ha, beyond which is the beautiful parkland and mature mixed woodland. The park is covered in beautiful specimen trees, avenues, copses and pond. The park has regularly hosted equestrian events which have a significant and loyal following.
To the west of the castle, accessed off the back drive, is the U-shaped stable block with outdoor flood lit manège and associated buildings with a large storage barn.
Beyond the yard, estate tracks lead through the mature woodland and on to a series of post and rail grass paddocks.

Located close to the Great Stour River in the heart of the Kent Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, the Castle commands incredible views from every part of the estate. It also sits at the edge of the historic village of Chilham which itself contains a market square, medieval church, and many exceptionally beautiful Tudor and Jacobean houses. In addition are a village shop, tearoom and 2 pubs.
Despite the Castle's rural setting, it is ideally located just 57 miles from Central London and in particular, has excellent train links from Ashford International taking just 38 minutes into London.

The historic Cathedral city of Canterbury is just a short drive to the east and offers a wide range of shops, restaurants and day-to-day services along with many medieval features and

Marketed by: Knight Frank, Country Department