The drive leading to the house and garden.
The drive
Autumn colours are beginning in mid-August.
At last, we have arrived.
The house is big enough for most families.
The drive follows round to the front door.
There is peace and water here.
It does need mowing.
This is the house from the other side among the flowers.
St John's Jerusalem ex Wiki
St. John's Jerusalem or
Sutton-at-Hone Preceptory is a
National Trust property at
Sutton-at-Hone,
Kent,
England which includes the 13th century chapel of the Knights
Hospitaller and a garden moated by the
River Darent. It is open to the public on Wednesday afternoons
from April to October.
History
It was established in 1199 as a
Commandry of the
Knights Hospitaller of the Order of Saint John of Jerusalem
until it was sold to
Sir Maurice Denys, the Receiver of the Order at the time of the
Dissolution. The
mediaeval sections of the property were predominantly
constructed around 1234, when
Henry III procured the felling of five
oak trees from Tonbridge Forest. By 1388, the property had
ceased to be used as a preceptory.
[1]
Naturalist Abraham Hill established an orchard here in 1670, with apples and pears from Herefordshire and Devon that were used for making cider and perry. Varieties that were introduced into Kent as a result included the Kentish Pippin.[2] From 1755 it was the home of the county historian of Kent, Edward Hasted. [3] His excessive expenditure on the property may have been responsible for his bankruptcy in 1796, and subsequent term of imprisonment of five years. [4]
The building was given to the nation in 1943 by Sir Stephen Tallents, and was open to the public twice a week in the 1950s. [1] [5] The property has been a Grade II* listed building since 1 August 1952[6] and was scheduled under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979 as a site of national importance by the Secretary of State for National Heritage on 5 September 1994. [1] It is now let from the National Trust as a private residence. Public access is to the chapel and garden only.
Priors of the HospitalRadyngton, John, fl 1396
[7]
Grounds
The moat dates from the 13th century,
[3]
and surrounds an artificial island of 22,200m2. The moat
is bridged three times, including by a
Grade II listed 19th century brick footbridge. The grounds
contain a
Cedar of Lebanon.
[3]
Only the south-western section of the moat is part of the
River Darent.[1]
The moat has, however, suffered from environmental problems. It ran
dry in both 1976 and 1988 and was affected by sedimentation and
pollution after a recent dredging of the Darent.
[3]
The dredging was attempted in order to foster the appearance of a
1930s
Country Life setting. However, it had to be halted after it was
discovered that
scheduled monument consent had not been obtained. Although it
was subsequently granted, the
sustainability of such techniques has been called into question.
[8]
The garden also hosts a former fishpond, now occupied by marshlands.[1] Before the Dissolution of the Monasteries, the lawn to the north of the property was used as burial ground for the chapel, but thereafter as a midden.
The chapel is not operational.
