Penshurst Place and Gardens

Set in the beautiful Weald of Kent, Penshurst Place & Gardens and the surrounding estate have stood on the banks of the river Medway since the 14th century, when the awe-inspiring medieval Baron’s Hall was built as a country retreat for the Lord Mayor of London, Sir John De Pulteney. The Baron’s Hall, crowned by an original 60ft high chestnut beamed ceiling, is the jewel in Penshurst Place’s crown, and an unmissable sight for visitors to the ancestral home of the Sidney family.

In the early 16th century, Penshurst Place and the surrounding game-rich estate were used as a hunting lodge for King Henry VIII, since then many film and tv productions have been filmed at the house which bring his ownership to life, including The Other Boleyn Girl and Wolf Hall. It is allude d that the King used the estate to court Anne Boleyn from her nearby family home of Hever Castle, before she agreed to become his second wife and met her untimely end.

The House was gifted to the Sidney Family in 1552 by King Henry VIII’s son, Edward VI and it has remained in their safe hands ever since, making it one of the oldest family-owned estates in England.

Today, the house and formal gardens welcomes visitors daily from the beginning of April until the end of October, to enjoy the history, landscape and architecture of a unique country estate, as well as countless annual events, a woodland trail and adventure playground.  Accompanying the house and formal gardens is a vast estate filled with public footpaths waiting to be explored, with two particular routes, the parkland and riverside walks, benefitting from their own walking guides available to purchase from the Penshurst Place shop.

Winner of the Family Attraction of the Year at the Visit Kent Awards.