National Trust Scotney Castle Estate, Park and castle in Tunbridge Wells, England
Scotney Castle is a National Trust estate in Kent, near Tunbridge Wells, made up of a 19th-century manor house and the roofless remains of a medieval castle set on a small island in a moat. The grounds around them include woodland, a walled garden, and open parkland crossed by several walking paths.
The old castle dates to the 14th century, when it was built to defend against raids from France, and it changed hands several times before being damaged during the English Civil War. In the 19th century, the Hussey family chose to build a new manor house on higher ground nearby and left the old castle as a ruin on purpose, as part of the garden design.
The Victorian manor house is filled with furniture and objects that belonged to the Hussey family, giving it the feel of a home rather than a museum. Guided tours of the house let visitors hear stories about the people who lived there and the objects they left behind.
The estate is easiest to reach by car, and the closest train station is in Tunbridge Wells, from where a taxi or short drive is needed. Much of the parkland and garden is accessible for wheelchairs and pushchairs, though some woodland paths and areas near the old castle have uneven ground.
When the Hussey family built the new manor house in the 19th century, they deliberately had part of the old castle demolished to create a ruin that would look good from the new house. This kind of planned ruin, known as an 'eyecatcher', was a popular feature in English landscape design at the time.
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