Chapel Down - 4 Things to Know Before Visiting

Smallhythe Place in Small Hythe, near Tenterden in Kent, is a half-timbered house built in the late 15th or early 16th century and since 1947 cared for by the National Trust. It has existed as a simple working farm, one of the most significant shipyards in medieval England, and later the home of distinguished Victorian actress, Dame Ellen Terry. The unique Barn Theatre radiates the spirit and history of Ellen's life. Discover this hidden gem in the Kent countryside.

The Kent and East Sussex Railway refers to both a historical private railway company in Kent and East Sussex in England, as well as a heritage railway currently running on part of the route of the historical company. The picturesque line weaves between Tenterden and Bodiam for 10 1/2 miles. England's finest rural light railway enables visitors to experience travel and service from a bygone age aboard beautifully restored coaches and locomotives dating from Victorian times.

This is one of the best known gardens in Kent, a worthy winner of Visit Kent's Garden of the Year award in 2016. It contains fine yew hedges, large lawns with specimen trees, walled gardens, pools and mixed borders combined with bulbs, rhododendrons and azaleas. The massed bluebells in the woodland walk make spring an especially good time to visit.

Biddenden Vineyards is Kent’s original commercial vineyard; a family run vineyard with the second and third generation of the Barnes family managing the estate. Here at Biddenden 11 different grape varieties are planted across 23 acres of gentle south facing slopes, on sandy loam over clay situated in a shallow sheltered valley.

Great Dixter is a historic house, a garden, a center of education, and a place of pilgrimage for horticulturists from across the world. The garden, widely known for its continuous tradition of sophisticated plantsmanship, is Grade I listed in the National Register of Historic Parks and Gardens.

The Ypres Tower is a Scheduled Ancient Monument. It has uneven floors, low doorways, uneven steps and no lift. The castle may have been used as a prison and in 1430 became the property of John de Iprys; which lead to the name Ypres Tower.