Scotney Castle, romance in a castle, 26th August 2016
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The next morning, after a night staying in a pub which was a far stretch short of our accommodation in Norfolk, we went to Scotney Castle near Lamberhurst in Kent. Here the new house has been built within sight of the old one which sits like a folly on an island. Old Scotney Castle dates from 1380, whereas New Scotney Castle was built in 1835-43. I walked quickly down to the old castle to take a couple of snaps, while Iain sat on a bench in the garden. There are some formal gardens but most of the grounds are woodland which would be magical in the spring when the azaleas are flowering. We arrived at the house itself a little bit before it opened and a small gathering had assembled waiting for the doors to part. The kitchen is a curiosity having been modernised, around the 60's I conjecture, and still exhibiting the crockery that the last owner Betty Hussey used. Some of the castle is let out and Margaret Thatcher had a belfry apartment here in the 1970's and 80's.