Audley Willicombe Park
Before being converted by Audley Group from its existing use between 1997-1999 to a village containing 63 apartments, cottages and houses, Willicombe Park was once originally a private family house owned by William Willicombe, a well-known Victorian developer. In the twentieth century the house became a Barnado’s Home and the training centre for St Christopher’s nursery nurses.
Royal Tunbridge Wells
Willicombe Park is just a short distance from Royal Tunbridge Wells, an elegant town that has remained popular since its Georgian heyday. It offers high-class shopping and numerous restaurants, along with convenient transport links to London.
The Assembly Halls Theatre is also a popular destination in the town, hosting a number of popular events including music, comedy, dance and drama and the annual pantomime.
Further afield
For those that wish to escape the hustle and bustle of the town centre, Knole in Sevenoaks is a magnificent 600-year-old estate that spans 1,000-acres and is Kent’s last medieval deer park. Originally built as an archbishop’s palace, Knole passed through royalty to the Sackville family who still live there today. Explore grand courtyards, the tranquil Orangery and winding paths in the parkland.
The Hop Farm
The Hop Farm is Kent’s iconic and historic landmark, over 450 years old. A 400-acre Country Park in Beltring, near East Peckham in Kent, the Hop Farm holds the world’s largest collection of Victorian oast houses. A major supplier of hops to London breweries in the 19th and 20th centuries, families across the south east and beyond used to spend the summer holidays working in the rolling countryside around the farm, harvesting hops and preparing them to be transported. Nowadays, The Hop Farm Family Park is packed full of attractions.
'Pick your own' at Chilton Manor Farm
We all know that getting out and about in the fresh air is good for both mental and physical health, so why not combine it with stocking up on tasty fresh produce too? Chilton Manor Farm in Sittingbourne is a great destination local to Willicombe Park and offers a huge range of 'pick your own' produce, from strawberries and blackberries in spring to apples, pears and pumpkins in autumn.
