![Chiddingstone Castle side](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/11/Chiddingstone_Castle_side.jpg)
Chiddingstone Castle is situated in the village of
Chiddingstone
Chiddingstone is a village and civil parish in the Sevenoaks District of Kent, England. The parish is located on the River Eden between Tonbridge and Edenbridge. The village of Chiddingstone Causeway and the hamlet Chiddingstone Hoath are also ...
, near
Edenbridge, Kent
Edenbridge is a town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the Sevenoaks (district), Sevenoaks district of Kent, England. Its name derives from Old English ''Eadhelmsbrigge'' (meaning "Eadhelm's Bridge"). It is located on the border of ...
,
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
, south-southeast of
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
and in the upper valley of the
River Medway
The River Medway is a river in South East England. It rises in the High Weald AONB, High Weald, East Sussex and flows through Tonbridge, Maidstone and the Medway conurbation in Kent, before emptying into the Thames Estuary near Sheerness, a to ...
. The castle was built by the
Streatfeild family
The Streatfeilds, Streatfields or Stretfields are an aristocratic English family of the landed gentry, from Chiddingstone, Kent. The family are traceable to the early 16th century and are a possible cadet branch of the Noble House of Stratford. ...
and served as their seat from the early 16th century until the beginning of the 20th century when the family left the castle. The Streatfeilds sold the castle to
Lord Astor in 1938. Since 1977, the castle and its of grounds have been held in trust for the nation by the Denys Eyre Bower Bequest, and both are open to the public. Much of the current structure dates from the early 19th century, but incorporates elements of the earlier buildings on the same site.
History
High Street House
The first significant building to occupy the site of the castle was a timber-framed dwelling, inhabited from the early 16th century by Richard Streatfeild, an iron master and wool merchant. Little remains of this first structure as, in 1679, Henry Streatfeild (1639–1719) had the house rebuilt in red brick in the
Restoration style
Restoration style, also known as Carolean style from the name ''Carolus'' (Latin for 'Charles'), refers to the decorative and literary arts that became popular in England from the restoration of the monarchy in 1660 under Charles II (reigned fro ...
. The building was known as High Street House or High Street Mansion since it fronted the village high street. Remodelling of the house's grounds in the 19th century resulted in the current diversion of the road through the village.
Chiddingstone Castle
In the early 19th century, Henry Streatfeild (1757–1829), the son of
Henry Streatfeild Henry Streatfeild (1706 - 1762) was a substantial British landowner and member of the prominent Chiddingstone, Kent Streatfeild family.
Henry Streatfeild was born on 3 June 1706 in Chiddingstone. He was the son of Henry Streatfeild (1679-1747) an ...
(1706–1762) and Lady Anne Sidney, commissioned
William Atkinson to rebuild the house in the
Gothic style
Gothic or Gothics may refer to:
People and languages
*Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes
**Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths
**Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...
however Atkinson's design was not completed and, in 1835, Streatfeild's son, also Henry Streatfeild (1784–1852), engaged the architect Henry Kendal to carry out further work. Although the Streatfields owned the house, now renamed Chiddingstone Castle, until it was sold to
Lord Astor in 1938, the family did not live there after 1900. During the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, the castle hosted members of the
Canadian Forces
}
The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF; french: Forces armées canadiennes, ''FAC'') are the unified military forces of Canada, including sea, land, and air elements referred to as the Royal Canadian Navy, Canadian Army, and Royal Canadian Air Force.
...
before becoming Long Dene School until 1954.
Denys Eyre Bower
In 1955, the castle was purchased by Denys Eyre Bower (1905–1977), a former bank clerk and antiques dealer, in order to display his collections. Bower was born in
Crich
Crich is a village in the English county of Derbyshire. The population at the 2001 Census was 2,821, increasing to 2,898 at the 2011 Census (including Fritchley and Whatstandwell). It has the National Tramway Museum inside the Crich Tramway Vil ...
,
Derbyshire
Derbyshire ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands, England. It includes much of the Peak District National Park, the southern end of the Pennine range of hills and part of the National Forest. It borders Greater Manchester to the nor ...
and started collecting at a young age. Bower initially worked as a bank clerk before taking over Cavendish Hood antiques dealers in
Baker Street
Baker Street is a street in the Marylebone district of the City of Westminster in London. It is named after builder William Baker, who laid out the street in the 18th century. The street is most famous for its connection to the fictional detec ...
,
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
in 1943. The redevelopment of Baker Street led to Bower moving to Chiddingstone Castle where he intended to show his collections to the public. However, in 1957 Bower was convicted of attempted murder of his mistress, whom he shot, and attempted suicide and sentenced to life imprisonment.
Released in 1962 after successful efforts by solicitor Ruth Eldridge to prove a miscarriage of justice, Bower returned to Chiddingstone Castle which, with the help of Eldridge and her sister Mary, he continued to open to visitors until his death in 1977.
Today
Bower left the castle and his collection to the nation and so upon his death the Denys Eyre Bower Bequest was formed. This trust continues to care for the castle and its collection, opening it to the public and providing a venue for weddings, and the current trustees include descendants of the Streatfeild family. The castle is a Grade II*
listed building
In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...
and the grounds, which contain further listed buildings including an orangery, are themselves included on the
National Register of Historic Parks and Gardens
The Register of Historic Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in England provides a listing and classification system for historic parks and gardens similar to that used for listed buildings. The register is managed by Historic England ...
. The Castle is an accredited museum, contains a tea-room serving refreshments and hosts a variety of events and activities throughout the year.
Fishing
The Castle lake measures around 3.5 hectares. It divides the village of Chiddingstone from the grounds of Chiddingstone Castle. It is naturally stocked with wild Carp, Bream and Perch. It held the record for the largest Bream for 37 years, from 1945.
Collections
Japanese
Bower's decision to collect objects from
Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
was inspired by his father's own interest in
Chinese porcelain
Chinese ceramics show a continuous development since pre-dynastic times and are one of the most significant forms of Chinese art and ceramics globally. The first pottery was made during the Palaeolithic era. Chinese ceramics range from construc ...
. The collection of
lacquer
Lacquer is a type of hard and usually shiny coating or finish applied to materials such as wood or metal. It is most often made from resin extracted from trees and waxes and has been in use since antiquity.
Asian lacquerware, which may be ca ...
is considered to be one of the most important in a private collection, whilst displays at the castle also feature
swords
A sword is a cutting and/or thrusting weapon.
Sword, Swords, or The Sword may also refer to:
Places
* Swords, Dublin, a large suburban town in the Irish capital
* Swords, Georgia, a community in the United States
* Sword Beach, code name for ...
,
armour
Armour (British English) or armor (American English; see spelling differences) is a covering used to protect an object, individual, or vehicle from physical injury or damage, especially direct contact weapons or projectiles during combat, or fr ...
and
haniwa
The are terracotta clay figures that were made for ritual use and buried with the dead as funerary objects during the Kofun period (3rd to 6th centuries AD) of the history of Japan. ''Haniwa'' were created according to the ''wazumi'' technique, ...
figures.
Ancient Egyptian
The
Ancient Egyptian collection spans the whole history of the civilisation and includes both
grave goods
Grave goods, in archaeology and anthropology, are the items buried along with the body.
They are usually personal possessions, supplies to smooth the deceased's journey into the afterlife or offerings to the gods. Grave goods may be classed as a ...
, such as
ushabti
The ushabti (also called shabti or shawabti, with a number of variant spellings) was a funerary figurine used in ancient Egyptian funerary practices. The Egyptological term is derived from , which replaced earlier , perhaps the nisba of "' ...
figures and
amulet
An amulet, also known as a good luck charm or phylactery, is an object believed to confer protection upon its possessor. The word "amulet" comes from the Latin word amuletum, which Pliny's ''Natural History'' describes as "an object that protects ...
s, and items from everyday life, including food and drink vessels. In 2013, items from the collection were lent to the
Houston Museum of Natural Science
The Houston Museum of Natural Science (abbreviated as HMNS) is a natural history museum located on the northern border of Hermann Park in Houston, Texas, United States. The museum was established in 1909 by the Houston Museum and Scientific Societ ...
for display in their Hall of Ancient Egypt.
Stuart and Jacobite
In British history, Bower was most interested in the
House of Stuart
The House of Stuart, originally spelt Stewart, was a royal house of Scotland, England, Ireland and later Great Britain. The family name comes from the office of High Steward of Scotland, which had been held by the family progenitor Walter fi ...
and
Jacobitism
Jacobitism (; gd, Seumasachas, ; ga, Seacaibíteachas, ) was a political movement that supported the restoration of the senior line of the House of Stuart to the Monarchy of the United Kingdom, British throne. The name derives from the first name ...
and was a member of the
Royal Stuart Society
The Royal Stuart Society, founded in 1926, is the senior royalist-monarchist organisation and the foremost Jacobite body in the United Kingdom. Its full name is The Royal Stuart Society and Royalist League although it is best known simply as the ...
. His collecting in this area included
portrait
A portrait is a portrait painting, painting, portrait photography, photograph, sculpture, or other artistic representation of a person, in which the face and its expressions are predominant. The intent is to display the likeness, Personality type ...
s of members of the House of Stuart, swords, objects with hidden Jacobite symbols and royal manuscripts. There is an extensive collection of antique books on the subject in the library, on display at the Castle.
Buddhist
As with other areas of his collecting, Bower's interest in objects relating to
Buddhism
Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and gra ...
was driven by personal reasons; Bower was a Buddhist. Despite this, the collection does not focus on any one particular school of Buddhist thought or on any particular country.
Amongst items currently displayed at the castle are
thangka
A ''thangka'', variously spelled as ''thangka'', ''tangka'', ''thanka'', or ''tanka'' (; Tibetan: ཐང་ཀ་; Nepal Bhasa: पौभा), is a Tibetan Buddhist painting on cotton, silk appliqué, usually depicting a Buddhist deity, scene, ...
s and images of
Buddha
Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha, was a śramaṇa, wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism.
According to Buddhist tradition, he was ...
.
Local history
In addition to Bower's collections, the castle's 19th-century kitchen still retains many of its original features, such as three cake ovens, and is used to display a collection of kitchen utensils and an ice chest, reflecting the fact that the castle once had an
ice house. There is also a servants' hall and a servants' bedroom. The Castle also holds some archives of local history.
References
External links
*
{{Coord, 51.1858, 0.1424 , display=title , region:GB_type:landmark , format=dms
Streatfeild family
Castles in Kent
Houses in Kent
Grade II* listed buildings in Kent
Buildings and structures in Sevenoaks District
Museums in Sevenoaks District
Gardens in Kent
Egyptological collections in England
Art museums and galleries in Kent
Historic house museums in Kent
Mock castles in England