Scotney Castle

Scotney Castle is really a stately home. Construction began in 1837 for Edward Hussey III and it remained a family home until the third generation of owners - Christopher Hussey - died in 1970. At this point the house was left to the National Trust although Christopher's wife remained in residence until she died in 2007 and this was when it was first opened to the public. As the house is less then 200 years old and was lived in until recently it is a little more modern than some but still contains an interesting collection of furniture and artefacts covering the occupation of the family. The main feature of Scotney is an impressive garden, the highlight of which is the original Scotney Castle. It was the poor state of repair of the original that led to the new build in 1837 and the old castle was then transformed in to a ruin that became a prominent feature of the garden. We went for a look for the first time yesterday and at the moment the rhododenron collection is especially impressive. However the garden as a whole is very appealing with lots of attractive vistas and is doubtless worth another look. Here are a few images from my visit.