Key facts
- Operator
- National Trust
- Condition
- Partial ruin
- Access
- Staffed, ticketed
Pinpoint
Tunbridge Wells TN3 8JN
Telephone 01892 893820
Possible Opening hours
Opening times change. Always check the official website before you travel.
| Monday | 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM |
| Tuesday | 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM |
| Wednesday | 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM |
| Thursday | 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM |
| Friday | 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM |
| Saturday | 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM |
| Sunday | 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM |
A moated medieval ruin deliberately kept standing as a picturesque folly below a Victorian mansion, whose 19th-century owner quarried the new house's stone from the old castle's own hillside and then left the ruin in place purely for the view of it. The gardens - rhododendrons, azaleas, roses depending on the season - are as much the draw as either building.
Worth the trip
The view down from the mansion terrace to the moated ruin below - the whole point of how the estate was designed.
Before you go
You'll need a car to reach it and parking fills up early on good days; tours of the castle ruin itself run on selected days only, so check ahead if that's the priority rather than the gardens.
Reviewers consistently love the combination of the lived-in mansion and the romantic castle ruins in the gardens below, describing it as feeling like two properties in one. The gardens, cafe and helpful staff are repeatedly praised, and mobility scooters are available for the walk down to the ruins. One reviewer notes a car is needed to reach the site and parking can get busy, so arriving early is recommended.
Moated medieval Old Castle ruin below Victorian mansion
“Definitely worth a visit here. You will need a vehicle to reach this location.”— Solo traveller London, visitor review
