Knights Templar
The Ancestral Home Kentchurch Court
Kentchurch Court was originally a 14th century castle, it is a handsome stately home. It is situated in Herefordshire, UK, hidden within the Monnow Valley. This renowned house forms part of a huge five thousand acre estate surrounded by its ancient deer park, bordering both England and Wales.
The property has featured in several films in the past. The house had a thorough refurbishment in 2003 in preparation for Channel 4 reality programme ‘Regency House Party’ 25 different rooms were redesigned in line with the different styles of the Regency period at a cost of £250,000 ,this work was carried out in exchange for the use of the house. The daunting task of packing the house prior to0 refurbishment took ten weeks and a total of three miles of bubble wrap! In 2011 Kentchurch Court also featured in Channel 4 series ‘Country House Rescue’.
The original house at Kentchurch dates back to the 11th century and is Grade 1 listed building, it is the ancestral home of the Scudamore family and remarkably it has been passed down through vast generations of the family for nearly a thousand years. Kentchurch Court is considered to be one of the most important historical buildings in the entire UK. The present building dates all the way back to the 14th century and was fully renovated by John Nash in 1795 in the style of Gothic revival.
Jan Lucas-Scudamore and her family presently own and run Kentchurch Court, which is still a family home. Kentchurch Court and its marvellous gardens are open for public visits and the garden is also part of the National Garden Scheme.
The deer park at Kentchurch, originallya medieval settlement at present has approximately two hundred and fifty fallow deer. The Knights Templar originally owned this spot and it was formerly used as a hunting ground by the Royal family. The Scudamore purchased the ancient park from the Knights Hospitallers of Dinmore nearly five hundred years ago. The deer park has a great deal of ancient trees including ancient Yew, Maple and Sweet Chestnut. It is possible to organize a visit to this area by prior arrangement.
The 25 acre gardens have been developed extensively over the years since 1815 when the house was inherited by John Lucy Scudamore who had the gardens professionally landscaped in the picturesque style. This style is still evident to this day and the gardens have many unusual collections of a wide variety of plant families including rhododendrons and geraniums, along with a fantastic selection of mature trees. Lovely displays of wild woodland plants during the spring include snowdrops, bluebells and daffodils.
Grand borders in the walled area of the garden contain interesting collections of many plant families. The grand terraced lawns are seemingly endless and the gardens apple orchard bursts into colour when its flowering bulbs are in bloom. In the autumn months a show of colour is provided by the gardens wonderful maple tree collection.
Kentchurch receives a wonderful supply of fresh produce from its extensive vegetable garden throughout the seasons. The vegetable garden offers yet another gorgeous show of colour with its flowering climbers which are grown on the supporting frames within the area to pollinate the vegetables.
Story of knights templar in a nutshell Part 1 of 2
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