If windowsills could talk - Stoneacre, Otham

A good long walk today via a pub to the National Trust owned house at Stoneacre near where we lived. It's the first time I've been there in the 40 years I've lived in Kent and it was well worth the visit. Stoneacre is a 15th century Medieval yeoman's house and garden originally built and owned by the Ellis family passed down through numerous other families until it was purchased in 1920 by Scotsman Aymer Vallance who renovated the main house and built two wings either side of the original house using materials from North Bore Place from Chiddingstone Kent which was being demolished. In this way the house retained its medieval look. In the extra it would be difficult to tell that the left and right wings were built less than a century ago.

It's a small yeoman house, just 3 rooms were open; the great hall, the solar upstairs and the parlour from where this shot was taken. The guide, like me and like many other people was fascinated by the original windowsill which has witnessed the passage of time and events over a very long period. Although the house was given to the National Trust in 1928 a succession of tenants have continuously lived in the property so the house has that "lived in feeling".