Cobham Hall is one of largest and most important houses in Kent.
The fine red-brick mansion was built in Elizabethan, Jacobean, Carolean and 18th century styles.
The de Cobham family occupied a house here in the Middle Ages but the modern history of Cobham Hall began with William Brooke, 10th Lord Cobham, an important figure at Queen Elizabeth's court.
The 10th Lord added the two red-brick wings to the old house. His son, the 11th Lord, was implicated in the plot to put Lady Arabella Stuart on the throne in place of James I. He was imprisoned and his estates were confiscated.
In 1613 the manor of Cobham was presented by James I to Luodvic Stuart, 2nd Duke of Lennox. Lennox was created Duke of Richmond in 1623 and Cobham Hall became the principal residence of the Dukes of Richmond and Lennox.
During the Civil War the family were supporters of the King and lucky to retain their properties.
The 6th Duke was the last of the line and following his death in 1672 the property passed through the female three times. In 1713 the house passed by marriage to John Bligh who was created 1st Earl of Darnley (in the Irish peerage) in 1721.
Cobham Hall remained the principal residence of the Bligh Earls of Darnley until 1961 when they sold the property to the old Ministry of Works.
Shortly afterwards the house was purchased by the present owners and Cobham Hall is now an independent public school for girls.
The entrance to Cobham hall is from the north side where a carriage entrance and Hall were built in 1802 by the 4th Earl of Darnley. The huge coloured marble chimneypiece in the Hall dates from 1587 and bears the 10th Lord Cobham's arms.
The Hall and Inner Hall were both designed by Wyatt in the Gothic style. From the Inner Hall the visitor climbs the Granite Staircase dated 1602, which was the last addition by the Brooke family.
The first floor of the north wing, constructed by the 10th Lord Cobham, is occupied by the Gallery. This once housed the 4th Earl of Darley's huge art collection but this is now dispersed.
The Gallery contains the highly ornate Darnley State Coach dated 1715. At the end of the Gallery is Queen Elizabeth's Room which was redecorated in 1817 by George Repton, son of Humphry Repton the landscape designer.
Returning through the gallery and down the stairs, the visitor enters the Library in the east wing. This was rebuilt by the 6th Duke of Lennox and was given its present neo-classical decoration by George Repton in 1817. In the centre of the east wing is the Vestibule which was the original entrance hall.
The Vestibule, remodelled by Wyatt in 1773, leads to the Gilt Hall, the most imposing room in the house.
This great room is the Hall of the Webb building and is 50 feet by 36 feet and two storeys high. The shape of the room and the ornate plasterwork ceiling date from the 1670s. The rest of the beautiful decoration dates from 1773 - 76, by Sir William Chambers and 1792 - 97 by Wyatt. A copy of Van Dyck's double portrait of Lord John and Lord Bernard Stuart, sons of the 3rd Duke of Lennox, hangs over the fireplace. Both men were killed in the Civil War.
From the Gilt Hall the tour reaches the ground floor of the Elizabethan north wing.
The Large Dining Room was redecorated in about 1840 by Wyatt. The magnificent Mannerist chimneypiece, dating from the late 16th century, is flanked by a portrait of the 2nd Duke of Lennox by Van Somer and of the 4th Duke, after Van Dyck. The 'Chapel' was decorated in 1812 by Wyatt in Gothick style as a chapel but the room was never consecrated.
The gardens surrounding Cobham Hall were landscaped by Humphry Repton for the 4th Earl. These are gradually being restored by the Cobham Hall Heritage Trust, the owners of the property.
The gardens are particularly beautiful in the spring when the daffodils and many rare bulbs are in flower. There are also rhododendrons, azaleas and laburnums and fine plantation of trees.
The trees have been extensively cleared and replanted since the disasterous storms of the 1980s. The classical garden buildings and Gothic Dairy are being renovated.
2008: Guided tours in summer and other times - telephone to book. 9 July-Aug: Wed & Sun; call to check as can change (other days available for pre-booked tour). House closes at 17:00, last tour starts 16:00. Grounds close 18:00.
Tel: 01474 823371 Cobham Hall Website
