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Sands
Home Search are independent buying consultants specialising in
finding and acquiring prime country houses & estates, farm
& equestrian property and waterside homes for retained private
& corporate clients.
For further information about our service use the menu at the
top of this page.
About the County of Kent
(For a list of all the prime country estate properties sold
in Kent recently, scroll down to the bottom of this page)
Margate, Folkestone, Ashford, Royal Tunbridge Wells, Sittingbourne,
Canterbury, Dover, Hythe, Herne Bay, Whitstable, Maidstone, Ramsgate,
the Sevenoaks areas of Kent.
Kent is a county steeped in history. It was settled well before
most other parts of England and has the oldest recorded place
name in the British Isles. When Julius Caesar briefly invaded
Kent in 55 and 54BC, he found it the most civilised part of Britain
and it was to Kent that Pope Gregory sent his first missionaries
under Augustine who founded Caterbury Cathedral in 597AD.
The Kent motto is ‘Invicta’ meaning
unconquered or untamed an allusion to the belief that Kent has
kept its boundaries intact since Roman times. This, however, is
not quite the case. Since the 1750s, as London has grown, so Kent
has had to forsake land. In 1889 the county boundary was redrawn
as the present boroughs of Greenwich and Lewisham became part
of London, joined in 1965 by the present boroughs of Bromley and
Bexley and further areas lying between the A21 and M25 were added
to London in 1974.
As a farm based economy, the Kent countryside
has grown around a proliferation of pretty villages and small
towns, some of the prettiest being Benendon, Cranbrook, Goudhurst,
Matfield and Penshurst. Timber framed houses abound and much is
now made of converting barns and one of the symbols of Kent, the
oast house, into highly prized dwellings. Despite this variety
there is a shortage of Georgian houses with their finely proportioned
rooms, consequently they are highly prized.
Due to the Kentish custom of gavelkind or partible
inheritance, estates did not evolve to the eldest son but were
divided equally between the male children on their father’s
death. This resulted in a good supply of houses with land and
small holdings.
Commuting to London from Kent is best done by
train with typical times of 49 minutes from Tunbridge Wells and
62 minutes from Maidstone. The road network is not so good without
fast roads into the centre of London beyond the M25. It is often
quickest to take the M25 to use one of the main western routes
into the capital.
The Channel Tunnel has served to reinforce Kent’s
position as the gateway to Europe with many European companies
using the county to site their offices. The proposed fast rail
link from Ashford to London should also help to open the eastern
parts of the county to the commuter.
Demand for good family houses in Kent has been pushed up in recent
years thanks to the improvements in transport communications,
but prices can still surprise.
Known as the Garden of England, Kent is still
an agricultural county, renowned for its fruit and hops, and home
to thriving dairy and sheep farms.
Kent seemed relatively remote, despite its proximity to London;
transport links were worse than in other Home Counties, and the
south-east of Kent in particular remained untouched by progress.
Extensive improvements to transport communications in recent years,
however, have transformed the county, but its strong rural character
survives intact.
Kent is the nearest English county to the Continent,
and has long been regarded as the gateway to Europe, thanks to
its position on the Channel. It used to be said that he who held
the keys to Dover Castle held the keys to England.
Timber-framed and weather-boarded houses
are plentiful, and the brickwork and tiles in the county are some
of the best in England. One of the symbols of Kent is the oasthouse,
with its conical roof used for drying hops; most have now been converted
into unusual homes.
The most popular areas for commuters are within
easy reach of Sevenoaks and Tunbridge Wells, but good country
houses are found throughout Kent.
History
Kent's position as the 'Gateway to Europe' means
it has a violent past, which is evident from the county's architecture.
Castles were built at Dover, Rochester and Canterbury, and later,
by Henry VIII, at the Downs in Sandgate, Walmer and Deal, to protect
the county from invasion.
Since Roman times, when Julius Caesar invaded
Kent in 55 and 54 BC, to the Second World War, Kent has always been
vulnerable to invasion. While German bombing raids destroyed much
of Canterbury and Dover, much of the county's most treasured architecture,
such as the wonderful cathedrals in Canterbury and Rochester, have
survived.
Garden of England
Kent enjoys something of a micro-climate, with
temperatures and rainfall levels more similar to France than the
rest of England. As a result, and thanks to the abundance of chalk
soil, crops more commonly found in Provence or Champagne are being
grown enthusiastically by farmers. The English lavender, wine
and champagne industries are all based primarily in Kent, and
are currently enjoying a renaissance.
'The Garden of England' also has some of
the best gardens in the country, again thanks to the mild climate
and fertile soil. Around 180 beautiful and diverse gardens are open
to the public. Some of the best can be found at Emmetts Garden,
which adjoins the National Trust's Toys Hill properties in Sevenoaks;
Beech Court Gardens, a woodland garden surrounding a medieval farmhouse
in Challock; and Church Hill Cottage Gardens in Ashford.
Kent is a largely rural county, and is home to several beautiful
country parks. The Kent Downs Area of Natural Beauty, which are
the eastern half o the North Downs, cover nearly a quarter of the
county, stretching from the White Cliffs of Dover up to the Surrey/London
border.
Kent Today
Kent is a largely rural county, although homebuyers
are also attracted to the historical towns and the beautiful coastline.
Ashford is situated just 12 miles from the Eurotunnel
car shuttle terminal, and its train station also operates direct
Eurostar links to Brussels and Paris, making it popular for those
with close ties to the continent.
Canterbury, home of Kent University and the
cathedral, is a popular and vibrant historical town, while coastal
towns such as Margate and Gravesend have been transformed by extensive
redevelopment in recent years.
The Turner Contemporary gallery, to be housed
in striking sail-shaped building on the Gravesend waterfront, is
scheduled to open in 2007, and is set to further enhance the cultural
landscape of the county.
East of England Plan
The character of Kent may soon change dramatically
as a result of the Deputy Prime Minister's plans to build up to
720,000 new homes in the South East over the next twenty years.
Ashford has been identified as an area with
the potential to grow significantly, although many believe that
the infrastructure in the area will be unable to cope with the
influx of new residents.
The South East of England Regional Assembly
has since reduced the recommended number of new houses to a maximum
of 640,000, and a public consultation on the plans is currently
under way. The final decision on the plans rests with the Deputy
Prime Minister.
Property Market
According to Edward Church from Strutt &
Parker in Canterbury, the top end of market has been especially
robust recently, following the downturn in activity felt throughout
the country towards the end of 2004 and the start of 2005.
Canterbury is still a very desirable area, Mr
Church says. He recently handled the sale of a five bedroom Georgian
house with five acres of land and a swimming pool, which went
for just over £1million. However, the closer you get to
London, the less you get for your money.
Thanks to the international rail link, which
will also have a fast, direct service to London St Pancras by
2009, the property market in Ashford is currently very active
and prices have reacted accordingly. Once the new rail service
to the capital is in place, the journey will take just 40 minutes,
which is understandably luring many buyers from the city.
In general, transport links have been improve
dramatically throughout the county, and commuting by train or
by car to the capital is now easy compared with a few years ago.
The most popular towns are within commutable distance of the capital
and include Sevenoaks and Tunbridge Wells. Other sought after
areas include Plockley, Petham and Smarden.
According to Mr Church, buyers come from throughout
the country to Kent thanks to its proximity to both London and
the Continent: 'Lots of people move here from the capital, and
lots of people move here to be closer to France, particularly
those who have a second property in France.'
The typical Kentish property is a farmhouse
with a timber frame, for which anything between £700,000
and £1,500,000 can be paid. Oasthouses are also common and
highly sought after, and their round 'kilns' can offer interesting
living arrangements. But their desirability depends entirely on
the quality of the conversion: 'Some have been splendidly converted,
but others, especially the older conversions, are not so appealing,'
said Mr Church.
Major towns
Canterbury, Maidstone, Dover, Folkestone, Ashford,
Sevenoaks, Tunbridge Wells, Margate, Ramsgate, Gillingham, Chatham,
Deal, Faversham.
Transport links
Train: Victoria, Waterloo East or London Bridge
to Canterbury 1hr 30min; London Bridge to Folkestone 1hr 30min;
Victoria to Maidstone 1hr.
A high speed rail link will connect Ashford
with London St Pancras is scheduled for completion by 2009. The
journey will be cut from 1hr 10mins to approximately 40 minutes.
Car: Canterbury is 60 miles from London via
the M2; Folkestone is 66 miles, via the M20; Maidstone is32 miles,
via the M20.
Public schools
Benenden School, Cranbrook (01580 240592). Girls
only, age range 11-18, boarding. www.benenden.kent.sch.uk
Cranbrook School (01580 712163). Co-educational, age range 13-18,
day and boarding. www.cranbrookschool.co.uk
The King's School, Canterbury (01227 595501). Co-educational,
age range 13-18, day and boarding. Associated preparatory school.
www.kings-school.co.uk
Sevenoaks School (01732 455133). Co-educational, age range 11-18,
day and boarding. Associated preparatory school. www.sevenoaksschool.org
Tonbridge School (01732 365555). Boys only, age range 13-18, day
and boarding. www.tonbridge-school.co.uk
Ashford School (01233 625171). Co- educational, age range 3-18,
day and boarding. www.ashfordschool.co.uk
Kent College, Canterbury (01227 763231). Co-educational, age range
3-18, day and boarding.
St Edmund's School, Canterbury (01227 454575). Co-educational,
age range 3-18, day and boarding. www.stedmunds.org.uk
Dover College (01304 205969). Co-educational, age range 11-18,
day and boarding. Associated preparatory school. www.dovercollege.org.uk
Leisure
Golf courses: Royal Cinque Ports, Deal (01304
374328); Royal St George's, Sandwich (01304 613090).
Hunts: the Ashford Valley, the Tickham, the
East Kent, the West Kent and the West Street.
Yacht clubs: Whitstable Yacht Club; Royal Cinque
Ports Yacht Club; Erith Yacht Club; Hollowshore Cruising Club;
Royal Temple Yacht Club.
Fishing: rivers Darent, Medway and Stour; Bewl
Water and Bough Beech Reservoir.
THE BEST KENT COUNTRY
HOUSES FOR SALE IN 2004
(A breakdown of what was for sale & purchase prices)
Great Maytham Hall, Tenterden (Lutyens 'Wrenaissance', Grade II*):
£4m
Salutation, Sandwich (Lutyens 'Wrenaissance', Grade 1, 3.5 acres):
£2.5m
The Vines, Hildenborough (17th century/victorian, 6 Bed house,
22.3 acres): £2.5m
Old Farm, Bidborough, Near Tonbridge (6 bed country house, 10.3
acres): £2.45m
Petham House, Canterbury (Italianate house, 31 acres): £2.25m
Lower Court, Ottinge (Grade II, 33.5 acres): £2m
Summerhill, Tenterden (prime contry house/estate): £3.4m
Source: Country Life
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