Notes from the host
Amazing Period Farm House
Large Period country farm house in the countryside. Good for walking, cycling and exploring. Or just stay in.
Space to stretch out and chill out. Watch your favourite movie in our own boutique cinema with 1000+ dvd's!
Play on the piano, drums, or guitar, or just listen to the radio in the music room. From our old oak desk you can keep in touch with work with good internet access or write your novel. Play pool in the man-cave, before retiring to one of the 3 king size beds, with a choice of 2 romantic four poster rooms, one with an ensuite, or the family bathroom with a slipper bath for wine and a book, or an invigorating shower high power shower. The house is strictly no smoking including E cigarettes inside. Smoking is allowed in the front garden only.
Please note, our house has been designed for varied accommodation requirements. Please do make sure that your requested booking is entered with the correct number of people staying at our house, including children who require beds. The number of people staying will affect the price just the same as a hotel or B&B. If you enter just 2 people, then only 2 people can stay.
This house has lots of stairs due to its historic and quirky nature. Anyone with impaired movement or concerns about using stairs should speak to us before booking. Directly opposite is a 20+ acre parkland and ponds to start off your exploring.
The house is for quiet and friendly relaxation and enjoying the countryside and surrounding area and villages, so we are pleased to accommodate sensible parties and celebrations, however we are unable to accommodate loud or drunken parties.
The house is strictly no smoking inside. Smoking is allowed in the front garden only.
Chilston Home Farm was originally, as its name suggests, the farm for the Chilston Estate. It is attached to two farm cottages that were a medieval Wealden Hall House. So the property varies in age from 300 to 600 years old. Most of the farmhouse is Georgian, but built on the foundations of a wing of the remaining hall house.
The house is very spacious, light and airy, with room to explore and relax.
There's a huge cellar, where we've put a cinema, pool table and darts board (and the tumble drier) , a large farmhouse kitchen and scullery with Aga cooker, electric cooker, coffee machine, microwave, washing machine and dishwasher etc.
The dining room has a huge inglenook fireplace and a woodburner. In the front room we have a desk, bookcases, a guitar, piano and a drum kit for some family entertainment, although we would ask you to lower the volume after 10pm. The sitting room is at the back of the house, south-facing, and with a large flat screen TV, DVD, cosy woodburner and squishy sofas. The house is furnished for quiet and friendly relaxation and enjoying the countryside and surrounding area and villages, so we are unable to accommodate loud or drunken parties, or groups of mainly young single males. Please feel free to contact us for clarification.
All the bedrooms are large and light. On the first floor, the master en-suite has a king size four-poster bed. The other two rooms have a kingsize four-poster and and a kingsize double. There are also two attic rooms (one leading off the other one), with twin beds in the far room and a single in the nearest one. Being an old quirky farmhouse, the top floor stairs are very steep to these rooms, and you have to mind your head, but all part of the character
We have 3 cot beds that can be placed in the double bedrooms, please ask in advance as we store them away otherwise. We prefer that you bring your own child's bedding, but have spare available.
As well as the en-suite shower room with WC, there is a family bathroom with slipper bath and body-jet shower and WC, a separate WC and a downstairs WC in the scullery.
Outside is secure bicycle or outdoor gear storage, and we can lend you a pressure washer to clean up.
The farmhouse has a small back courtyard that faces south. The farmyard is shared with us, but you can park in the 3 spaces provided (ask in advance if you need more). The garden is to the front and side of the farmhouse, with a lawn, picket fence, stone wall and hedge.
Sandway is a tiny ancient hamlet of 7 houses. It's a mile south of Lenham, which is a picturesque village with a medieval market square and lots of quaint, historic houses. Lenham has two pubs, a tea room, a chip shop restaurant and a Chinese restaurant. A Co-op has just opened, although we encourage our guests to help keep the local produce shops open by using them if possible instead. A local smallholder does free range eggs and a local beekeeper does honey from the Chilston fields.
There are two village stores, a post office/sweet shop, a baker's, a greengrocer's, a chemist, a Post Office, a newsagent, a wine shop, antiques shop and gift shop. A Co-op for those who prefer anything the village shops can't provide. There's an Indian restaurant in Harrietsham, two miles away.
There's a monthly open-air food market in the Square on the second Sunday and occasional specialist food markets.
The church dates back to the 14th century and there is a tithe barn from the same era, where events are held several times a year.
Under what is now the chemists, a Saxon grave was found. It contained the remains of three sixth century people, one of them a warrior buried with his weapons.
Above the village are the North Downs, with the famous Pilgrim's Way running along the southern slope to Canterbury. You can also follow the North Downs Way, the Stour Valley Walk or the Greensand Way which link up with various other long-distance footpaths. Then you can get the train or bus back to Lenham.
This is Darling Buds of May country - the television series was filmed at nearby Pluckley. You can wander the field paths and byways scented by flowers and buzzing with insects. We saw two young badgers scuttle into the hedgerow earlier this week, and the jackdaws are feeding their young in a hole in a tree over the road.
We are within walking distance of Chilston Park hotel, which is lovely for a special occasion, whether you book dinner or afternoon tea.
If you like aviation, Headcorn aerodrome is nearby, with plenty of activity including parachuting. We are into flying and can help you with information about airfields, microlighting and ballooning in the UK.
Four miles away is Leeds Castle, billed as the loveliest castle in Britain. But we're also within easy travelling distance of Sissinghurst with its famous gardens; Canterbury with its ancient abbey, the cradle of Christianity in Britain; Whitstable, famous for its oysters in season; Rochester, with its castle and links to Charles Dickens; Ashford with its outlet centre; Tunbridge Wells, with its charming shops and restaurants and Tenterden, a pretty little town.
We are easily accessible from the continent and the rest of the UK. It's an hour to London by car, and 50 minutes to Dover. If you want to go to Europe from here, it's easy on the Eurostar train from Ashford International Station or you can put your train on Le Shuttle at Folkestone, or catch the ferry from Dover. If you want to visit London, you can catch the train from Lenham station a mile away, which takes you into Victoria station (1 hour and 20 mins) or drive to Headcorn station (6 miles away) and get the train to London Bridge (1 hour).
