Ightham Mote Fortified Medieval Manor - A Living Museum of Architecture

National Trust's Biggest Ever Restoration Spans 650 Years of Building History

When Ightham Mote, a fortified medieval manor near Sevenoaks in Kent, opened to the public in 2004, it had been under restoration for 15 years, at a cost of £10 million.

The National Trust spent so much time and care on this Grade I Listed building (parts of which are a Scheduled Ancient Monument) because it provides a history of architectural development over seven centuries.

Architectural historian Sir Nicholas Pevsner called Ightham Mote medieval manor, "the most complete small medieval manor house in the country." It is also one of oldest surviving manor houses in England.

Throughout its history, it was owned by families of modest wealth. If they had been richer, the house would have been torn down and rebuilt in the latest fashions, over the years. Instead, the owners of Ightham Mote simply added, repaired and made do. The result is a remarkable architectural catalogue of techniques, revealed in exhibits on the site.

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