The standard view of Penshurst with the Baron’s Hall slightly to the right of middle.

Penshurst Place is a beautiful house and has gardens which date back to the mid 14th century. It is the place acquired by Henry VIII to be able to flirt with Anne Boleyn and possibly Mary Boleyn who lived at nearby Hever Castle. It has had some fascinating owners including the second Duke of Buckingham who was closely involved with Richard III’s seizure of power and possibly, the assassination of the “Princes in the Tower. His successor, the third Duke of Buckingham, put on an extravagant feast to impress Henry VIII in 1519 at Penshurst, only to be executed two years later for treason! Among its many rooms is the stunning Barons’ Hall, a great hall that has been featured in numerous documentaries about Medieval and Tudor history and is one of the best examples of a great hall, in the country.

The opposite side. To see this you have to go for a little walk across the field but it is worth the trek.

Above and below, the Baron’s Hall. The most photographed part of Penshurst place and a hall that pops up on loads of historical documentaries although, apparently, the Harry Potter producers turned it down as being too small for their films. The fire in the middle is usually alight for professional photographers and as a consequence, it is easy to imagine lots of things taking place here as the hub of the estate and not just festivities. As there is no chimney, smoke would have made its way to the ceiling and originally leave via a small vent. As a consequence, any draught would make the room very smokey and the rafters would be black with soot. Completed in 1341 the hall is one of the oldest sections of the house and measures 19m long by 12 metres wide. In the centre of the top photo is a 16th century minstrels’ gallery. It is not difficult to imagine a great feast or party, with plenty of alcohol being consumed, taking place here. The large tables at the sides of the photo, measuring 6 metres long, would be moved inwards a couple of metres and the table in the lower photo would be moved forward a little onto a dias to raise it slightly above the lower ranking guests. This table would be laden with the best food and the best wine for the lord and his principal guests. These guests would sometimes include the monarch, of which one of the most famous was Henry VIII who dined here with the Duke of Buckingham, only to have him executed two years later! When it was first built, the floor would be strewn with rushes that would be replaced every few days.

Above; a beautifully built wooden ceiling. Apparently, the wood used is chestnut, not oak because of its strength as well as its lighter colour.

Below; at each side, ten life-sized human carvings have been placed at the edges of the beams.

Lighting would be a problem when designing halls and so this one has four huge windows to take advantage of natural light.

A better view of the top table.

Richly coloured and expensive, the tapestries would have impressed visitors by the wealth of the owner of Penshurst Place as well as making the room a lot more vibrant than it is today. We often get the wrong impression of medieval buildings ( e.g. castles and churches) being dull when, in fact, most had highly colourful painted walls.

Above. a beautiful German clock dating from 1520. Henry VIII might have seen and heard it.

Above and below; taking the exit in the far left corner of the hall takes you downstairs to the crypt or undercroft, featured here , or upstairs, to the “State Dining room”. This beautiful room was probably built at the same time as the Baron’s Hall and was probably used as a storage area. Sometimes these rooms were used as withdrawing rooms where men would reside after their heavy meal in the hall. Experts have suggested that this was probably the case here at Penshurst because of the impressive vaulted design. Why have such a design simply for a storage room?

Above and below; when climbing the stairs from the Baron’s Hall to the State Dining Room, look up and find the green man looking down at you. He is from the “disgorging type” where foliage comes out of his mouth .

Above; what is now referred to as the State Dining Room or West Solar. In medieval times, the inhabitants of Penshurst Place would withdraw here from the large Baron’s Hall to have some privacy.

Below is a feature known as the “Squint” which was used by the occupants to peep down on the people still in the Baron’s Hall. Half way down, opposite the Squint, is a 14th Century fireplace. Note the diagonally sloping bricks. The hood, however, is from a much later date, the 19th century.

Above; the state dining Room photographed from the other end.

A contemporary painting of Elizabeth dancing La Volta with Robert Dudley. It is not known who painted it.

Above; Just before you leave the dining room is the painting above, showing Queen Elizabeth I dancing La Volta in an energetic fashion with one of her many suitors, Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester. Gaye Gee, a Penshurst Place guide, referred, during an interview, to the painting as being“lewd”. Mention is also made of the position of Dudley’s hand in a rather “indelicate position“ and of exposing the Queen’s ankles! It has been suggested that Dudley’s hand is actually on the “busque” of her corset which is a whalebone or piece of wood placed at the front of her corset to keep it flat and straight down. The painting is a copy but it is clear who is represented. The Queen, however, would not have been very amused by it! Another odd thing about this painting is that if you look closely at Elizabeth’s legs , she looks like she has gained an extra one. The third leg is, in fact, Dudley’s because a part to the dance involves the man raising his knee up to help lift his partner up whilst springing into the air with the help of his other leg.

Dudley was a very ambitious man and hoped to marry the queen but in this quest, like so many others, he failed! Elizabeth came to the throne in 1558 and recognised Dudley as a handsome and useful man who could gain from rapid promotion. He was made “Master of The Horse” and one year later became a “privy councillor” and “Knight of the Garter”. These are prestigious titles carried influence and a degree of power. His rapid rise and being a “favourite” of the queen, made him enemies. When his wife, Amy Robsart, died in suspicious circumstances many fingers were pointed at Dudley. Amy apparently, fell down the stairs with some people suggesting that Dudley had given her a little push! Although he possibly wanted to take his relationship with the Queen further, Elizabeth was not in agreement and suggested he marry Mary Queen of Scots. He did, however, become, the Earl of Leicester and had other relationships before marrying Lettice Knollys, the widow of the Earl of Essex.

The man in white on the right with his back to us, is another famous suitor of Elizabeth, the Duke D’Alencon, who, in this painting, seems to have his arm around another woman. The man talking to this lady is believed to be , Sir Philip Sidney son of Sir William Sidney who was given Penshurst Place from King Edward. There is speculation that the lady on the stool with her back to us is Mary Sidney, Philip Sidney’s mother and Robert Dudley’s sister. Her story is that she looked after Queen Elizabeth whilst she had small pox and a consequence of this was, that she too caught the terrible disease. One of the legacies of small pox is that it can leave the patient with horrible scars and pockmarks (pitted scars) all over the face. This might explain why she is facing away from us.

Above; the Queen Elizabeth Room. At the back is an 16th century English harpsichord formerly owned by Queen Christina of Sweden.

Above; the Panelled Room. Apparently, there is a painting to the left of the bed of Charles' II’s mistress Nell Gwyn in her “birthday suit”.

Above The pages Room. A lead bust of Queen Elizabeth I who visited Penshurst Place on several occasions. It was moulded from her effigy on her tomb in Westminster Abbey. (Click here to see my blog on Westminster Abbey)

This particular room was full of ceramics but this particular plate caught my eye. It shows the RAF dropping food supplies from their Bomber Command Lancasters to area in the unliberated part Netherlands with millions of starving people during World War Two. At the end of May 1945, very near the end of the World War Two, part of the Netherlands was still in Nazi hands but the inhabitants were close to starving to death. As the war was continuing, the Allies negotiated with the Germans that food would be dropped in this area to relieve the suffering and the Nazis agreed not to fire at the planes. On the plate are two Lancaster bombers dropping food parcels in what was called “Operation Manna”.

Below; the next seven photos are from the Long Gallery which dates from 1599. These became fashionable in Tudor times as places to stroll when the weather outside was poor and for displaying portraits, tapestries and furniture.

Above; look up and you will see a beautiful plastered ceiling.

Lord Dudley, Earl of Leicester, “favourite” of Queen Elizabeth I.

Queen Elizabeth I.

Above and below; photos from the Long Gallery which include photos of scenes from the BBC’s adaptation of the prize winning book, Wolf Hall by the late Hilary Mantel.

Above and the next 5 photos below; the Nether Gallery.

Above; a 17th century shield, two 17th century pikemen’s helmets, a 19th century sword belonging to King William IV with two other 19th century swords.

Above; several matchlock muskets. These would have a small piece of rope (the match) on what is like a trigger. When fired, it ignited gunpowder in a little cup, which, in turn, sent the fire inside the barrel to explode the gunpowder that had been rammed down it. As a consequence, a musket ball was sent flying somewhere near the target.

Above; the sword of state of Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester.

Above; a German executioner’s sword, designed specifically for the decapitation of condemned criminals and hence, there is no point at the end.

Above; suit of armour probably 17th century. This has a dent in the breast plate which I always look for because when I visited the Tower of London, they told me this is a sign of authenticity. When a breastplate was received, the soldier would fire a musket ball at it and if the musket ball made a hole, the breastplate would be returned to be re-made. No-one would fight with an untested breastplate, with all used ones having a dent the size of a musket ball.

Above; the view to your left as you enter the Baron’s Hall.

Above two photos and below; the Garden Tower. In 1381, the king and the aristocracy were worried when the Peasants of the south-east rebelled in what is now called “The Peasants’ Revolt”. In Penhurst, Sir John Devereux decided to enclose the manor with 8 turrets and curtain walls with crenellations on the top.

Above; there are beautiful gardens to discover even after a downpour! Hence, the moody clouds.

Above; coats of arms and emblems seen around the buildings. The creature at the top is a porcupine, the Sidney family crest. The porcupine appears on the left of the middle coat of arms and a lion with with two tails is on the right. The bottom emblem is known as the “bear with the ragged staff”, the symbol of the Dudley family in the 16th century. Mary Dudley married Sir Henry Sidney.

Above; an interesting “grotesque” near the entrance the Baron’s Hall.

Above; the entrance to the toy museum and below; something at Penshurst Place for all ages.

2. The early history of Penshurst Place with some fascinating owners including two rebels and numerous connections with English monarchs.

Sir Stephen de Penchester is the first known owner of the estate here at Penshurst sometime in the 13th century. Below is his effigy to be found in St John The Baptist’s Church, next door to the estate.

Sir John de Pulteney bought the estate in 1338 and completed building his beautiful sandstone manor house in 1341. He was a wealthy London merchant who made his fortune selling wool and wine who had been elected mayor of London four times. He also lent large sums of money to Edward III to pursue, what we now call, the “Hundred Years’ War”. To complete the job, he asked for and was granted, ”a licence to crenellate”. This meant he could make it look more like a castle by adding crenellations ie the small defensive structures on the top of the the manor house. Like many buildings in this period, crenellations were meant to impress the visitors rather than act as great defensive works. However, although he had plenty of money to build impressive houses, he could not fend off the gruesome bubonic plague, in what we now call “The Black Death” and died in 1349.

Sir John Devereux decided to make the manor house more like a castle by adding curtain walls and towers. Apparently, they were the result of his worries about the marauding peasants who had revolted in the South East of England, especially in Kent and Essex during what was called, “The Peasants’ Revolt” in 1381. There is also no doubt, that they also added to impress his visitors too. One of the remaining features of his development is the “Garden Tower”, shown earlier.

John Duke of Bedford, son of Henry IV and younger brother of arguably one of England’s greatest king, Henry V took charge of Penshurst Place in 1401. Bedford enlarged the western corner of house still further.

Humphrey, Ist Duke of Buckingham inherited the house in 1447 and was like the next two successive Dukes of Buckingham, in that they all died violently! Through marriage and inheritance, he became one of the wealthiest persons in the country as well as one of the greatest landowners. He fought in the Hundred Years’ War against the French alongside Henry V and on Henry’s death, Buckingham became a councillor the nine month old, king Henry VI.

In 1455, he fought for King Henry VI (the red rose) in the Battle of St Albans, the first battle of the “Wars of the Roses” but eventually died defending him in 1460.

Humphrey Stafford, Ist Duke of Buckingham (commons.wikimedia.org)

Henry Stafford, the 2nd Duke of Buckingham inherited Penshurst Place on the death of his grandfather Humphrey. In 1466, he married astutely by taking as his bride Catherine Woodville, the sister of Elizabeth Woodville the queen of England and wife of Edward IV. When Edward IV died unexpectedly in 1483 leaving his crown to the his son, 12 year old Edward, Buckingham sided with Edward IV’s brother, Richard Duke of Gloucester in his moves to gain greater influence and power. Buckingham became Richard’s chief “henchman” or “Mr Fixit” by helping him to reduce the power and influence of the Woodvilles whilst helping to promote Richard of Gloucester to be regent for the young king. He also took part of putting Edward and his 10 year old brother , Richard, Duke of York, in the Tower of London. He then publicly declared that Edward IV’s marriage to Elizabeth Woodville was invalid because he had already married Lady Eleanor Talbot. This made Edward IV’s sons illegitimate and incapable of ruling. Parliament agreed and Richard Duke of Gloucester was made king. In gratitude, Buckingham was given even more honours and titles by Richard. Edward’s two sons were kept in the Tower of London but records of their existence cease after October 1483. However, in a new twist to the story, Buckingham decided to rebel against Richard and was beheaded in November 1483. Did he rebel because he disagreed with the two Princes’ assassination? Did he himself organise the assassination to stand a chance of gaining the throne, after all, he had a double claim to the royal line both on his father’s and mother’s side? With the Princes out of the way and pointing at Richard III as an assassin, he might have had a chance to seize the throne. If this theory is correct he would have had to have killed them before he was beheaded by Richard III in November 1483. A Portuguese document written the private secretary to Alfonso V at the time stated, “the Duke of Buckingham, under whose custody the said Princes were starved to death”. Another document found as recently as 1980 in the archives of the College of Arms, states; the murder…"be the vise of the Duke of Buckingham”. We will never know for sure but some experts suggest Buckingham would not have acted without Richard’s permission. Plus, he would have somehow had to get access to the Princes for himself and his accomplices and this would have been difficult without Richard’s consent. The jury is out on this matter but the owner of Penshurst Place certainly had something to do with the disappearance of the Princes.

Henry Stafford, 2nd Duke of Buckingham (commons.wikimedia.org)

Edward Stafford, 3rd Duke of Buckingham inherited Penshurst and was to end up being accused of treason, in this case against the mighty Henry VIII and being beheaded like his predecessor. He too had the same strong claim to the throne of England and as a consequence, Henry VIII and his chief official , Thomas Wolsey, kept a close eye on him. In 1519 to gain Henry’s favour, Buckingham, invited Henry VIII to Penshurst and put on a very sumptuous banquet costing a huge £2 500 which converts into over £1 million in todays’s money. In her book, Henry VIII and the men that made him”, Tracy Borman cites that Buckingham angered Wolsey and their differences were made worse by their different upbringings, Buckingham a “blue-blooded duke” and Wolsey, the son of a butcher. She quotes Holingshed’s chronicle as stating, Wolsey, …“Upon hearing the duke’s slanders, was boiling in hatred and thirsting for his blood”. She describes Buckingham as having a “loose tongue”, criticising Wolsey publicly , showing contempt for the king’s father Henry VII and even boasting of his own royal blood and therefore, his own claim to the throne. At the feast of 1519, Henry was outraged “when he saw Sir William Bulmer, a member of his own household wearing Buckingham’s livery” ie a special uniform of Buckingham’s household when, he should have been wearing Henry’s! She went on to quote Edward Hall’s chronicle; “He would none of his servants should hang on another man’s sleeve”. Henry’s disapproval now developed and so he alienated Buckingham. The Duke’s response to this, was to “talk vaguely of rebellion”. As a consequence, in 1521 he was arrested on suspicion of treason. Members of his own household now provided evidence against Buckingham including him being told by a monk that he would one day be king! Also brought forward, were Buckingham’s father’s plans to stab King Richard III, illustrating that the Stafford Family did not draw back from plans to kill kings appointed by God. Buckingham’s chancellor confessed that Buckingham had accused Wolsey, a Cardinal, of practising witchcraft in order to retain the king’s favour and of being Henry’s “bawd” ie the man who organises women for Henry, a brothel keeper! Probably most of this was untrue but Henry had yet to father a son and felt vulnerable. Buckingham was found guilty and sentenced to being hanged, drawn and quartered. However, a slight degree of mercy was granted by Henry in that he changed the sentence to being beheaded, slightly less painful and much quicker!

Edward Stafford, 3rd Duke of Buckingham (commons.wikimedia.org)

Henry VIII took posession of Penshurst Place in 1521 through the law which states that a traitor’s property becomes the property of the crown. He used it as a hunting lodge , as a place to visit his friend, Charles Brandon but also to visit Hever Castle and flirt with Anne Boleyn. His flirting worked because she eventually agreed to become his second wife. He held on to it until 1540 when it was given to his fourth wife, Anne of Cleves as part of the divorce settlement. As Anne readily agreed to the “annulment” of the wedding on the grounds that it was not consummated, Henry’s settlement was very generous. It soon passed to Sir Ralph Fane who too was executed for treason.

It again returned to the monarch, in this case King Edward VI, who gave it to his former tutor and stewart to his household, Sir William Sidney. He died two years later.

Sir Henry Sidney (commons.wikimedia.org)

Sir Henry Sidney inherited Penshurst Place in 1554. Apparently, Sir Henry was a childhood friend of Prince Edward and that continued into Edward’s monarchy. There is even a story stating that the young king died in Sir Henry’s arms.Sir Henry married Mary Dudley, the sister of Lord Guildford and Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester. Lord Guildford was married to Lady Jane Grey, the queen for just 9 days in the failed plot to prevent the Catholic, Princess Mary, from ascending to the throne. Neither Mary Dudley nor Sir Henry Sidney were implicated in the plot. He then went on to serve Queen Elizabeth I and although not generously financially rewarded, he amassed sufficient wealth to make several alterations to Penshurst Place. In 1564 he was made a knight of the Garter, showing that he too was close to the monarch. In 1554, Henry had a son, Sir Philip Sidney who became an accomplished poet and wrote Arcadia, a romance about the perfect place and the perfect way to live. It ran to 180 000 words.

In 1586 Henry’s son, Robert inherited Penshurst Place and built “The Long Gallery”. In 1599, Queen Elizabeth I visited Penshurst Place. In 1618, under King James I(1603-25) he became the earl of Leicester, a title once held by his uncle,Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester (1532-1588) , favourite to Queen Elizabeth.

Essential information

Getting there;

Penshurst Place’s website states ;

Located in West Kent, Penshurst Place is just 7 miles from Royal Tunbridge Wells. It is easily accessible from Junction 5 of the M25 and is just over 1 hour from London and the Channel Tunnel. Satnav TN11 8DG.

By Road

From M25 Junction 5 follow A21 to Tonbridge, leaving at Hildenborough exit; then follow brown tourist signs.

From M20/M26 Junction 2a follow A25 (Sevenoaks), A21 for Hildenborough, then follow brown tourist signs.

There is ample free car parking in our main visitor car park, close to the Visitor Entrance and Gift Shop. Parking for the disabled is signed and on the hard-standing area next to our Visitor Entrance and Gift Shop.

For coaches, allocated hard-standing coach parking is located adjacent to the Visitor Entrance. Double decker coaches unable to fit in the archway entrance (3.8m high by 2.4m wide) can drop off at an alternative entrance and park in the lay-by in the village. Please call us in advance to arrange.

By Train

Train to Tunbridge Wells Station, then taxi to Penshurst (7 miles).

Train to Edenbridge Station, then bus 231 & 233 (excludes Sundays).

Train to Tonbridge Station, then taxi to Penshurst (6miles).

Train to Penshurst Station, then walk (2.5 miles, on roads with no footpaths).

By Cycle

Penshurst Place can be accessed mostly off road from Tonbridge by following the blue Regional Cycle Route 12 signs. Download a copy of the cycle route below. There are cycle racks at Penshurst Place are situated outside the main Visitor Entrance and Gift Shop.

Tickets

click here for their website’s current details

Opening times

Click here for their websites current details on opening times