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A Tour of Kent’s Most Exclusive Castles & Houses

A Tour of Kent’s Most Exclusive Castles & Houses


5 days
from £££1129pp

2025 May Sep


A splendid discovery of the Garden of England’s treasures awaits on this special tour. We take an exclusive peek into a range of glorious estates, including atmospheric Provender House, where our private tour is led by Princess Olga Romanoff herself, and stunning Allington Castle, an exquisite gem no longer open to the public (if you were to imagine a castle straight from the pages of a fairytale book, Allington would be it, with turreted stone exteriors, regal tapestries, a time capsule Great Hall and lily pad-clad moat)! Our memorable visit to the idyllic Hole Park and our fragrant discovery of The World Garden at Lullingstone Castle rounds off this celebration of magnificent Kent.

Highlights

  • 4 nights at the Holiday Inn, Maidstone – Sevenoaks with dinner & breakfast
  • Porterage where available
  • Welcome drink
  • After-dinner tea & coffee at the hotel
  • Coach transfers to & from your excursions
  • Visits to Hole Park, Allington Castle, Lullingstone Castle & the World Garden, Provender House, Camden Place & Belmont House
  • Exclusive meeting with the owner, refreshments, lunch & guided tour of Hole Park
  • Exclusive guided tour of Allington Castle
  • Guided tour with Princess Olga Romanoff* & refreshments at Provender House
  • Refreshments at Camden Place
  • Guided tour & refreshments at Belmont House
  • Themed evening talk from a guest speaker
  • Accompanied by a friendly tour manager throughout

*Subject to availability. If the Princess is not available, the tour will be led by another family member.

Please inform us at the time of booking of any special dietary requirements.


Itinerary

Monday
Arrival

Check in to the Holiday Inn, Maidstone – Sevenoaks in the afternoon. Later, we enjoy a welcome drink reception hosted by our tour manager.

Tuesday
Hole Park & Allington Castle

We begin with a trip to Hole Park, a delightful private home situated in a picturesque parkland setting and boasting a magnificent garden with far-reaching views over the woodland. For the past four generations, Hole Park has been owned by the Barham family and today we are treated to refreshments, an intriguing guided tour and an exclusive meeting with the current owner in the spectacular Hall (which isn’t usually open to the public), plus lunch in the Rolls Room.

Next stop is Allington Castle, a magical 12th-century fortress rarely open to the public. With its winding moat, precious tapestries and regal furniture, it feels as if we’re stepping into an ancient world here; just imagine Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn dining with politician and poet Sir Thomas Wyatt in 1530 in the atmospheric Great Hall! Today, all that remains of the original castle is a section of wall and the kitchen fireplace, which dates back to 1174. The powerful Wyatt family acquired the property in 1491 and transformed it into an impressive mansion house, and we find out more on our guided tour.

Wednesday
Lullingstone Castle & the World Garden & Provender House

After breakfast, we make our way to Lullingstone Castle, recorded in the Domesday Book and one of the oldest family estates in England. The present manor house was built in 1497 and has been home to the same family ever since. Altered extensively in Queen Anne’s time, the house boasts fine state rooms and beautiful grounds, including a stunning 15-acre lake and the World Garden, home to thousands of rare plants collected from around the world by Tom Hart Dyke, the current heir, planted in their respective continents of origin. Incredibly, the ideas and plans for this garden were started during Tom’s nine-month kidnap ordeal in the early 2000s, a result of rare plant hunting in the Colombian jungle. There are plenty of unique species, including the world’s most dangerous plant, the hottest chilli and the rarest gum tree. If he is available, Tom takes us on a guided tour.

Afterwards we travel to Provender, home of Princess Olga Romanoff, daughter of Prince Andrew Romanoff, the eldest nephew of the Tsar Nicholas II of Russia. Dating back to the 13th century, Provender is a fascinating record of English building traditions over seven centuries. A recent programme of careful restoration has revealed a wealth of historical and architectural detail which we discover on our exclusive private tour, led by the princess herself,* rounded off with tea and cake.

After dinner this evening, we enjoy an interesting themed talk from a guest speaker.

Thursday
Camden Place & Belmont House

Today we visit Camden Place, the house where the overthrown Napoleon III died in exile, where we enjoy tea and cake. Largely unchanged for over a century, this atmospheric gem boasts feature fireplaces and staircases plus intricate tapestries left by Napoleon himself, as well as Empress Eugénie and the Prince Imperial, the house’s previous tenants. If these historic walls could talk, they would tell fascinating stories of murders, spies, exiled life and more.

For our last visit we head to Belmont House for a guided tour and refreshments. This magnificent Neo-classical country house is a completely unspoilt example of architect Samuel Wyatt’s work. Six generations of the Harris family have each left their mark on this treasure, which contains mementos of the family’s history and travels and the finest private collection of clocks and watches in Britain, created by the 5th Lord Harris. There is also time to enjoy the lovely grounds, which encompass everything from beautiful gardens and magical woodlands to fruit-laden orchards and a cricket pitch.

Friday
Departure

After breakfast, check out of the hotel for the journey home.

Please note: the itinerary order is subject to change and guided tours are subject to availability.


Accommodation

This Holiday Inn is ideally located for our exploration of Kent, near the county town of Maidstone. The hotel features modern bedrooms with tea and coffee-making facilities, TV, hairdryer, complimentary toiletries and free Wi-Fi, as well as a restaurant, bar, health club with indoor swimming pool and gym.

Hotel Rating

Hotels with a JG3 rating tend to be a more formal style of hotel, often part of a hotel chain, or are very-welcoming family-owned properties. Generally, they offer a greater range of facilities and services, and bedrooms tend to be a little more spacious with additional features. Public areas are larger and include lounge seating, bar and restaurant with good quality food served either buffet style or waiter service.


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