Chiddingstone Castle was created by two men. In 1805 Henry Streatfeild rebuilt his ancestral home in the fashionable Georgian Gothic style and in 1955 the house was bought by Denys Eyre Bower, who filled the building with his varied and fascinating collections.
The Streatfeild family built a red-brick Carolean manor house on their 3,000 acre estate.
At the beginning of the 19th century Henry Streatfeild began to remodel the house in the 'Castle Style'.
New wings were added to the north and south sides of the house by William Atkinson. These were embellished with Gothic windows and battlements, with the Carolean building sandwiched in between.
However, Henry Streatfeild could not afford to complete the work and it was another 30 years before his son finished the re-facing and battlementing.
By the 1930s the Streatfeild family could no longer afford to maintain this miniature version of a nobleman's residence and sold up. During the 1940s the building suffered heavily from military and then scholastic occupation.
When Chiddingstone Castle was purchased by Denys Bower in 1955 the building was derelict. Bower, who came from Derbyshire, had no inherited wealth and between the ages of 16 - 20 worked as a bank clerk.
During this period he developed a deep interest in art of all kinds and slowly established a second career as a dealer. He eventually concentrated solely on art collection. He tended to specialise in the unfashionable areas and had a great ability to recognise quality.
Bower was unwilling to let comfort or the necessities of life stand in his way and achieved amazing results. However, he lacked the means to restore the Castle.
When he died in 1977 Bower left the house and contents to the National Trust but the gift was refused.
Subsequently a private charitable trust was set up to run the property: the Denys Eyre Bower Trust. The Trust, with the assistance of English Heritage, has carried out a careful restoration of the Castle.
The house is faced with smoothly-cut sandstone and has traceried windows and a battlemented roofline.
The entrance is through the South Hall and into the east wing which is part of the Carolean house. The first room to be viewed is a re-creation of Denys Bower's study, containing his Regency furniture. The former Billiard Room houses his Buddhist Collection. Over a passageway from here is a room displaying a collection of views of the house.
The Jacobite Room reflects Bower's fascination with the House of Stuart and contains mementos including early glassware and ceramics.
The Great Hall, at the junction of the north and east wings, was part of Atkinson's Gothic additions to the house. The furniture is 17th century oak. Two barrel-organs from the early 19th century, and still in working order, flank the fireplace.
From here the visitor enters the Stuart Room, formerly the Library. This room contains more memorabilia including a nude portrait of Nell Gwynn as Venus by Lely.
The White Rose Drawing Room is decorated in conventional Georgian style. All the furniture here is Georgian and the walls are hung with a collection of portraits of the House of Stuart. These range from James V of Scotland to Cardinal Henry of York, the last of the Stuart line. The paintings include works by Lely, Van Dyck, Mytens and Cornelius Johnson.
The following three rooms house Denys Bower's Japanese Collection. This was accumulated during the 1920s and 1930s and is the greatest private collection of Japanese artifacts in Britain.
The Entrance Hall contains Samurai armour and weapons whilst the room beyond displays lacquer-work, ceremonial swords, netsuke and carvings. At the end of this room is a vast elaborate gilded shrine. The third room contains ancient terracotta figures, early ceramics and wrought iron figures.
Returning through the Great Hall the visitor climbs the stairs, passing a portrait of Henry Streatfeild, to the first floor. Two rooms here display the Egyptian Collection. This includes tomb-objects, sculpture and papyri. The two remaining rooms house temporary exhibitions. The tour of the house ends at the South Hall which contains the restored 19th century kitchen.
Chiddingstone Castle is set in a 35 acre park with magnificent views of the Weald.
Standard times: Thur, Fri, Sun and Bank Holidays:11:00-17:00
Chiddingstone Castle Website
