An Englishman's Home Is Not Always His Castle

Today was time for another TSMT (Train Strike Micro Trip) as my brother couldn't travel up to London for work due to another national rail strike.
We settled on a trip to Scotney Castle, just outside the village of Lamberhurst, which we haven't visited for at least 20 years.
This main image is of the Old Castle - the earliest parts of which were built in 1378 by Roger de Ashburnham and then added to and embellished over the years by subsequent owners the Durrell and Hussey families.
The title of my blip was going to be about an Englishman's home being his castle but this would be misleading as in the 1830's Edward Hussey III, engaged an architect to build a new house at the top of the hill looking across the valley and transform the Old Castle into a ruin, in order to be the focus of his new landscape garden. It's now primarily celebrated as being one of the most significant survivals of a complete Picturesque vision.
My extras show what was once one of the interior walls of the castle and has glorious planting and glimpses through to the surrounding trees and landscape, a boathouse nestled amongst the burgeoning autumnal leaves and a view across the reed beds and the moat to the romantic ruins.
I really had forgotten what a gloriously beautiful and almost fairytale setting this is!
We still had time to fit in a pub lunch on the way home too. Another thoroughly enjoyable train strike micro trip!