Preston Hall is a former manorial home and associated estate in

Aylesford Aylesford is a village and civil parish on the River Medway in Kent, England, northwest of Maidstone. Originally a small riverside settlement, the old village comprises around 60 houses, many of which were formerly shops. Two pubs, a village ...

in the

English county The counties of England are areas used for different purposes, which include administrative, geographical, cultural and political demarcation. The term "county" is defined in several ways and can apply to similar or the same areas used by each ...

Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...

. It dates to the Norman period and was owned by the Culpepper family for over 400 years. Part of the estate became the Royal British Legion Village in the 1920s and the hall itself was used as a hospital after

World War II 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 World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

. The estate was broken up over a period of time and most of the area it once covered is now used for housing. The hall itself was transformed into 36 flats in 2015. The Heart of Kent Hospice also occupies a site on the property. At the end of the 19th century the estate stretched from the current A20 to the

River Medway The River Medway is a river in South East England. It rises in the High Weald, East Sussex and flows through Tonbridge, Maidstone and the Medway conurbation in Kent, before emptying into the Thames Estuary near Sheerness, a total distance ...

just south of Aylesford.Ordnance Survey Map of Kent, XXXI.SW. Revised: 1895, Published: 1898.The Preston Hall Estate, near Maidstone, Kent, ''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper '' The Sunday Times'' ...

'', issue 19758, 1848-01-13, p.10. The hall is located towards the southern edge of the estate, having been rebuilt there in the mid 19th century. It is around north-west of

Maidstone Maidstone is the largest Town status in the United Kingdom, town in Kent, England, of which it is the county town. Maidstone is historically important and lies 32 miles (51 km) east-south-east of London. The River Medway runs through the c ...

and south of Aylesford. The M20 motorway and the Maidstone to Strood railway line both cross the former estate between the hall and the river. Junction 5 of the M20 and

Aylesford railway station Aylesford railway station is on the Medway Valley Line in Kent, England, serving the village of Aylesford. It is down the line from London Charing Cross via and is situated between and . The station opened on 18 June 1856. The station an ...

are on the edges of the former estate.Explorer Map 148 – Maidstone & the Medway Towns,

Ordnance Survey Ordnance Survey (OS) is the national mapping agency for Great Britain. The agency's name indicates its original military purpose (see ordnance and surveying), which was to map Scotland in the wake of the Jacobite rising of 1745. There was ...

, 2015-09-16.

History

The estate dates to at least 1102. Between around 1300 and 1734 the estate was owned by the Culpeper baronets. Jeffrey Culpepper was

High Sheriff of Kent The high sheriff is the oldest secular office under the Crown (prior to 1974 the office previously known as sheriff)."Sheriffs appointed for a county or Greater London shall be known as high sheriffs, and any reference in any enactment or instrum ...

twice, once between 1364–66 and again in 1374 and the family remained influential in

throughout their time at the hall. The Baronetcy of Culpeper of Preston Hall was created on 17 May 1627 for William Culpeper. He served as High Sheriff of Kent in 1637 and his grandson, Sir Thomas Culpeper, 3rd Baronet served as High Sheriff in 1704 and was Member of Parliament for Maidstone between 1705 and 1713 and again between 1715 and 1723. On his death in 1723 the estates passed to Alicia Culpepper, Thomas' sister, and, though her, to her husband's family, the Milners. Burke J, Burke JB (1838) Culpepper of Preston Hall, ''A genealogical and heraldic history of the extinct and dormant baronetcies of England'', pp.143–144. London: John Russell Smith.
Available online
Retrieved 2017-12-02).Preston Hall History
Weston Homes Plc, 2015-01-25. Retrieved 2017-12-03.Handley S (2002
COLEPEPER (CULPEPER), Sir Thomas, 3rd Bt. (c.1656-1723), of Preston Hall, nr. Maidstone, Kent
The History of Parliament. Retrieved 2017-12-05. The Milner family lived at Preston Hall until the mid 19th century, Charles Milner also serving as High Sheriff in 1808. The property was purchased by Edward Ladd Betts, a successful railway contractor, in 1848. When the estate was offered for sale it covered an area of , although much more land was in the ownership of the estate in parishes stretching from

Boxley Boxley is a village and civil parish in the Maidstone District of Kent, England. It lies below the slope of the North Downs approximately northeast of the centre of Maidstone town. The civil parish has a population of 7,144 (2001 census), inc ...

and

Burham Burham is a village and civil parish in the borough of Tonbridge and Malling in Kent, England. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 1,251, decreasing to 1,195 at the 2011 Census. The village is near the Medway towns. The histor ...

to East Malling, with farmland covering and woodlands extending for . Betts demolished the old house and commissioned

John Thomas John Thomas may refer to: Politics United Kingdom * John Thomas (c. 1490–1540/42), British Member of Parliament for Truro * John Thomas (c. 1531–1581/90), British Member of Parliament for Mitchell * John Thomas (British politician) (1897 ...

to build a replacement in the Jacobean style slightly to the south of the original house location.Preston Hall

Historic England Historic England (officially the Historic Buildings and Monuments Commission for England) is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport. It is tasked w ...

. Retrieved 2017-12-03.History
Aylesford Parish Council. Retrieved 2017-12-03. Thomas had worked for Betts' brother-in-law and business partner,

Samuel Morton Peto Sir Samuel Morton Peto, 1st Baronet (4 August 1809 – 13 November 1889) was an English entrepreneur, civil engineer and railway developer, and, for more than 20 years, a Member of Parliament (MP). A partner in the firm of Grissell and Peto, h ...

, at

Somerleyton Hall Somerleyton Hall is a country house and estate near Somerleyton and Lowestoft in Suffolk, England owned and lived in by Hugh Crossley, 4th Baron Somerleyton, originally designed by John Thomas. The hall is Grade II* listed on the National Her ...

in Suffolk. Betts landscaped the estate during his time at the hall, laying out a series of carriage drivers and lawns. He built

on the Medway Valley Line to make his access to Preston Hall easier. Betts ran into financial difficulties after the banking crisis of 1866, became insolvent the following year and was forced to sell the hall which was brought by

Thomas Brassey Thomas Brassey (7 November 18058 December 1870) was an English civil engineering contractor and manufacturer of building materials who was responsible for building much of the world's railways in the 19th century. By 1847, he had built about on ...

, also a railway contractor. Brassey had worked with Betts and Peto in the

Peto, Brassey and Betts Peto, Brassey and Betts was a civil engineering partnership between Samuel Morton Peto, Thomas Brassey and Edward Betts. They built a supply and casualty transport railway ( Grand Crimean Central Railway) from Balaclava port to the siege lines ...

partnership. The hall was inherited by his son,

Henry Brassey Henry Arthur Brassey (14 July 1840 – 13 May 1891), DL, of Preston Hall, Aylesford, Kent and of Bath House, Piccadilly, London, was a British Member of Parliament. Origins He was the second son of the railway magnate Thomas Brassey (1805-1 ...

who was MP for Sandwich, in 1870. On the death of Brassey's wife in 1898 the hall was inherited by their son, Henry Leonard Campbell Brassey and his wife Violet. The couple moved to

Apethorpe Hall Apethorpe Palace (pronounced ''Ap-thorp'', formerly known as "Apethorpe Hall", "Apethorpe House", "Apthorp Park" or "Apthorp Palace" ) in the parish of Apethorpe, Northamptonshire, England, is a Grade I listed country house dating back to th ...

in Northamptonshire in 1904 and sold off much of the land associated with the estate which was reduced to around in area.

Royal British Legion Village

During

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

the hall was used as a hospital and convalescent home for servicemen wounded in the war. It built a particular reputation for the treatment of

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by ''Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, in w ...

(TB).Preston Hall History – 1900 - Present Day
Weston Homes Plc, 2015-01-28. Retrieved 2017-12-05.
Welcome to Maidstone. Retrieved 2017-12-05.Tributes paid to devoted chest doctor
'' Kent Online'', 2002-04-26. Retrieved 2017-12-06. After the war the site was purchased to establish a sanatorium, training colony and village for wounded servicemen and to act as a centre for the treatment of TB. The estate became known as the Preston Hall Colony.Tubercular Ex-Service Men, ''

'', issue 42360, 1920-03-16, p.13. At a time when the only treatment for TB was fresh air and rest, the cottages had verandas so that TB patient’s beds could be pushed outside. The cottages were large enough that patient’s families could live with them. Eventually about 30 cottages were built. Numbers of patients had fallen by 1925 when the Royal British Legion Industries took over the running of the colony.Future Of Preston Hall, ''

'', issue 43652, 1924-05-15, p.12.British Legion Village, ''

'', issue 45723, 1931-01-17, p.8. The village quickly increased in population and became known as the British Legion Village.Our history
Royal British Legion Industries. Retrieved 2017-12-05. The Medical Director of the sanatorium between 1924 and 1944 was Dr John McDougall who later went on to be Chief Tuberculosis Officer of the

World Health Organization The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for international public health. The WHO Constitution states its main objective as "the attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level o ...

from 1945.Former Fellows of The Royal Society of Edinburgh 1783 – 2002
,

The Royal Society of Edinburgh The Royal Society of Edinburgh is Scotland's national academy of science and letters. It is a registered charity that operates on a wholly independent and non-partisan basis and provides public benefit throughout Scotland. It was established i ...

, July 2006. Retrieved 2017-12-05. Royal British Legion Industries (RBLI) maintains its presence at the village. Gavin Astor House provides specialist nursing care and there are assisted living areas for elderly forces veterans. Over 100 housing units are provided for veterans and their families and temporary accommodation is also provided on the site which provides housing for over 300 people.Housing and care
Royal British Legion Industries. Retrieved 2017-12-05. Employment opportunities are also provided on the site and in 1972 the Poppy Appeal headquarters moved to the village.Graham M (2012
Video: Millions of poppies start life at Royal British Legion Village in Aylesford
'' Kent Online'', 2012-11-09. Retrieved 2017-12-05. An industrial complex in the village houses

Britain's Bravest Manufacturing Company Britain's Bravest Manufacturing Company (BBMC) is a social enterprise company based in England, which employs Armed Forces veterans and people with disabilities. It aims to produce four things; signs, pallet, wooden pallets, print & mail and ord ...

, run by the Royal British Legion Industries (RBLI), including the manufacturing of road and public signs used throughout the UK.Stephen P (2016) Made by Britain's bravest, ''Rail Magazine'', 2016-07-06, issue 804, p.60.

Hospital

This hall was again used as a hospital during

and was brought into the

National Health Service The National Health Service (NHS) is the umbrella term for the publicly funded healthcare systems of the United Kingdom (UK). Since 1948, they have been funded out of general taxation. There are three systems which are referred to using the " ...

when it was established in 1948. It was used first as a specialist chest hospital before becoming a general hospital. When the Maidstone General Hospital opened in the early 1980s the hall was used as the headquarters of the Maidstone Health Authority until 2012.McWethy C (2014
Experts say parts of Preston Hall, in the heart of Aylesford’s Royal British Legion Village, are at risk of crumbling and pose a risk to the public
'' Kent Online'', 2014-11-10. Retrieved 2017-12-06.

Modern use

In March 2014 the hall was sold by the Department of Health to Weston Homes for a nominal fee to be converted into residential apartments. Some areas were in poor condition and repairs were made later in the year before a total of 36 flats were developed in the original building in 2015.Property of the day: Preston Hall, Aylesford
Town & Country, 2015-11-30. Retrieved 2017-12-03.
''

The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a national British daily broadsheet newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed across the United Kingdom and internationally. It was f ...

'', 2015-02-11. Retrieved 2017-12-06. Other areas of the site have been developed as further areas of housing.The Lawns
Preston Hall Park, Redrow Homes. Retrieved 2017-12-06.McConnell E (2017
Hermitage Lane: 3,712 homes to be built along key route between Maidstone and Aylesford in next 20 years
'' Kent Online'', 2017-07-18. Retrieved 2017-12-06. Part of the estate is the site of the Heart of Kent Hospice, opened in 1992.

Cricket ground

cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by st ...

ground had been built within the grounds of the hall by the mid 19th century. It was used in 1846 and 1847, when the hall was owned by the Milner family, by

Kent County Cricket Club Kent County Cricket Club is one of the eighteen first-class county clubs within the domestic cricket structure of England and Wales. It represents the historic county of Kent. A club representing the county was first founded in 1842 but Ke ...

for two

first-class cricket First-class cricket, along with List A cricket and Twenty20 cricket, is one of the highest-standard forms of cricket. A first-class match is one of three or more days' scheduled duration between two sides of eleven players each and is officia ...

matches, both played against Surrey. These were the ground's only first-class fixturesFirst-Class Matches played on Preston Hall Ground, Aylesford
CricketArchive. Retrieved 2017-12-06. and were held as part of an attempt to form a rival to the

Canterbury Canterbury (, ) is a cathedral city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, situated in the heart of the City of Canterbury local government district of Kent, England. It lies on the River Stour. The Archbishop of Canterbury is the primate of ...

based Kent club.Milton H (1979) Kent cricket grounds, in ''The Cricket Statistician'', no. 28, December 1979, pp.2–10. Prior to the formation of the first county club in 1842, Kent teams had played at the

Old County Ground The Old County Ground is cricket ground, located at West Malling, historically called Town Malling, in the English county of Kent.Town Malling West Malling ( , historically Town Malling) is a market town in the Tonbridge and Malling district of Kent, England. It has a population of 2,590. Landmarks West Malling contains several historic buildings, including St Leonard's Tower, a ...

, west of Preston Hall. The county returned to the ground to play four matches later in the 19th century. They also played over 250 matches at Mote Park in

between 1859 and 2005.Grounds Records in ''Kent County Cricket Club Annual 2017'', pp.210–211. Canterbury:

. Kent's Second XI played a number of matches at Cobdown Sports Ground in Ditton, around to the west of Preston Hall, between 1948 and 1977.Cobdown Sports Ground, Aylesford
CricketArchive. Retrieved 2017-12-07. The ground was also used for a number of non-first-class matches. Aylesford Cricket Club used the ground during the ownership of Charles Milner and a side called Preston Hall used the ground between 1873 and 1897, as did a team bearing the name of

. Matches are known to have been played against a variety of well-known amateur teams including I Zingari, Free Foresters, The Mote, Royal Engineers, Sevenoaks Vine and Eton Ramblers.Other matches played on Preston Hall Ground, Aylesford
CricketArchive. Retrieved 2017-12-06. Areas of sports fields remain in use as playing fields on land which was once owned by the estate between the M20 motorway and the

, but the cricket ground is no longer in existence.

References

External links

The Heart of Kent HospicePreston Hall
on the British Towns and Villages Network {{authority control Country houses in Kent Tonbridge and Malling Defunct hospitals in England Hospitals in Kent Defunct cricket grounds in England Cricket grounds in Kent Sports venues completed in 1846 1846 establishments in England