Name: Old Soar Manor
Rating: 5.0

Old Soar Manor

Old Soar Road, Sevenoaks, UK

1-99 Years

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Description

Old Soar Manor is a small but complete portion of a stone manor house built in about 1290. Lying in a remote part of the Kent countryside, on the edge of the North Downs, this rare survival of 13th century domestic architecture gives an illuminating insight into the life of a rich medieval household.

The manor originally belonged to the Culpeppers, a leading Kentish family, and their private quarters survive, including the solar, latrine and chapel that were once an integral part of this family home.

Free Entry. If you are looking for Best place for day out with kids and families then this is the perfect destination offering fun, adventure, and unforgettable memories for everyone.

Features

Free
Host birthday parties: No

Features

History of Old Soar Manor: Old Soar Manor is situated in a remote position in the Kent countryside near Ightham, on the edge of the North Downs.
History: This rare survival of 13th century domestic architecture gives an illuminating impression of the life of a rich medieval family. The manor belonged to the Culpeppers, a leading Kentish family in the Middle Ages who were major landowners.
Manor houses of this period were based around a great hall, with a central fire from which the smoke rose to the open rafters. Family and servants would have eaten in the hall and servants slept on the floor. The manorial court was also held here.
For privacy, the lord and his close family would retire to withdrawing rooms, often a parlour with a solar, or upper chamber, above.
Today the private quarters of the Culpeppers survive, although the timber hall to which these rooms were attached was demolished in 1780 and the surviving red-brick farmhouse built in its place.
Description: The building was constructed in about 1290 of roughly coursed Kentish ragstone. It consists of a solar, latrine and small private chapel. All three rooms stand above vaulted undercrofts, or cellars, which were used for storage.
The solar was reached by a spiral staircase leading out of the hall. It has a steeply pitched crown-post roof. Each end wall features a long window. Originally these were glazed; they were closed by shutters, the fittings for which can still be seen.
A window seat survives below the northern window. This room, in contrast to the hall, had a square chimneybreast and fireplace. A blocked doorway or window opposite the fireplace overlooked the hall. A smaller blocked window allowed the lord to observe activity in the hall below.
A latrine, leading off the solar, discharged into a pit on the outside of the building. This room may also have been used to store clothes, as the odour of urine was believed to keep away pests.
The chapel has a large window which, in contrast to those in the rest of the house, was completely glazed. It once had an entrance at first-floor level to allow access without having to pass through the solar.
Although this range of buildings gave the owner a high degree of comfort and was an indication of his wealth and prestige, its thick stone walls and arrow loops – rather than windows – at ground-floor level equipped it to serve in addition as a defensive stronghold.

Facilities

Parking: There is limited roadside parking available; please park with consideration for residents and other road users.
Food & Drinks: There are no facilities at the manor. The nearest pubs in nearby villages for food and drink.
Toilets: There are no facilities at the manor. The nearest public toilets are in Borough Green (2.5 miles).
Dogs: Assistance dogs only.

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Price

Price: Free

Birthday Parties

Offer Birthday Parties: No

Open 10am to 5pm Every Day except Tuesdays from April until End of September.
The site is closed from October until April.

Address: Old Soar Road, Sevenoaks, UK

Post Code: TN15 0QX

Council: Tonbridge and Mallin

County: Kent

Road Access: 1 mile east of Plaxtol.
Bus Access: Autocar 222 Tonbridge – Borough Green; Nu Venture 404 from Sevenoaks. On both alight E end of Plaxtol, then 3⁄4 mile by footpath.
Train Access: Borough Green and Wrotham 2 1⁄2 miles.
Bicycle Access: Find this site on The National Cycle Network.
Parking: There is limited roadside parking available; please park with consideration for residents and other road users.