Historic Lodge near to English Heritage attractions, 50 mins from London

This dainty 1887 Lodge is situated in private grounds (with off road parking) sandwiched between the historic English villages of Westerham and Brasted. Nearby lived Sir Winston Churchill (1874 - 1965 Chartwell) and King Henry VIII (1491-1547 Hever Castle). The Lodge backs onto Westerham Golf Club and enjoys picturesque Park Land designed by Capability Lancelot Brown (a renown Landscape Architect who designed gardens for Royalty). The Lodge is surrounded by open fields used for grazing milk producing cattle.

The Lodge is located near to numerous tourist attractions such as historic English Heritage & National Trust Park land (some within just a few minutes drive from Brasted Lodge).

This location enables easy access to London for which several trains run per hour using direct one stop journeys via Sevenoaks to London Bridge, Waterloo, Charing Cross - Trafalgar Square or Bromley South to Victoria. Both offer numerous fast rail one stop services to London, which are used daily by commuters. Additionally is Oxted Station with similar services. All are just a short distance from the Lodge. Further more Dover, Rye, Brighton, Hastings, Bournemouth are also just about an hours car ride away. Therefore you get the best of both worlds, as the Lodge offers a country retreat or central London with its tourist attractions.

The nearby M25 Motorway offers first class road access to Gatwick & Heathrow London Airports enabling quick travel to many South East locations.

Completely renovated in 1995 to a very high specification, Brasted Lodge retains period features including an original fire place, high ceilings and moulded cornices. Modernisation offers up to date services whilst keeping the homely traditional feel.

The Lodge is a Victorian Game Keepers facility situated near to the A25 with beautiful views over looking hills, farm and park land, known as The Garden of England. These were used to police Mansions (Valence) from poachers or trespassers.

The Lodge has two double bedrooms and a third room, which can either be used as a single bedroom or 2nd reception. Modern kitchen, including all appliances (integrated fridge/freezer, gas oven, gas hob, dishwasher, washing machine and BT Broadband high speed WiFi with two Smart TVs offering internet and catch up TV. Both Lounge and single bedroom have DVD players. Blue Pearl Granite Worktops with a breakfast bar for three. Both reception rooms have real flame fires. Natural beech wood floors are fitted to the hall and kitchen with fitted carpets to all bedrooms and reception rooms. Travertine is fitted to the en-suite bathroom with ceramic tiles to the Cloakroom and rear entrance lobby.

The property has three WC’s, two wash rooms. Therefore the Lodge has:
3 x WC
1 x small cloakroom basin
2 x wash room basins
2 x showers (one being a wet room)
1 x bath (this being a large corner bath)

WESTERHAM is on the boarder cross roads of KENT, SURREY, LONDON and is a lively, charming, historic village attracting Londoners who wish to get away from their LONDON business/homes to an idealic location that offers everything needed to make your stay memorable.

The area has excellent road and rail transport links offering easy access to Central London and all the surrounding areas, numerous English Heritage and National Trust Historic tourist attractions, numerous restaurants (Chinese, Indian, Italian, French, English, Malaysian, Pizza to suggest just a few) and many bars/ pubs who also offer great food. All adjacent towns have a range of local leisure facilities (swimming pools, gyms, etc) and most are within minutes from the Lodge.

BRASTED LODGE location makes it great for both visiting stately homes/gardens and LONDON with non stop fast train services, examples being:
LONDON BRIDGE from SEVENOAKS - 27 minutes (every 18 minutes, approx)
LONDON VICTORIA from BROMLEY SOUTH - 17 minutes (every 8 minutes approx)
Ease to transport makes the Lodge a great place to stay when travelling to LONDON (all time tables to be checked by guests).
Car to Bromley South takes about 25 minutes, Sevenoaks 15 minutes and LONDON about 50 minutes (not advisable as the Capital has congestion zone travel charges plus high parking fees).

Westerham GOLF COURSE immediately neighbours the Lodge and guests are welcome to attend their bar or restaurant even if it's just to take in the outstanding views and stay for coffee. The area is fantastic for walkers who love the countryside. Rabbits, badgers and deer frequently visit the surrounding parkland and gardens, making the views even more delightful.

ACCESS from WEST using M25, is approximately 15 minutes to Lodge.
Leave M25 @ Junction 6 and turn right (third exit) under M25 motorway. Travel south on A22 for one mile to next roundabout, at junction with A25. Turn left onto A25 and proceed through Oxted to Westerham. Continue on the A25 through Westerham village and the Lodge/Golf course entrance is approximately half a mile outside of Westerham going east in the direction of Brasted (Sevenoaks). This will be on the right hand side.

Enter the grounds via Valence School/Westerham Golf Course access road, located on the right side of the A25 between two brick piers.

Once in the grounds you will arrive at crossroads (located just before double gates which lead to the Golf Course). Here turn left back in the direction of the A25 & the Lodge will be seen on the right. Park in front of the gate so as to block the road, this being your spot, when staying. Don't worry only you have right of way to the road outside the Lodge.

ACCESS from EAST using M25, Junction 5 is approximately 10 minutes to Lodge. Leave the M25 @ Junction 5 and travel south onto the A21. Soon after joining the A21 (about two miles) leave the A21 @ second exit slip road (signposted A25 to Westerham). Pass through Sundridge & after leaving Brasted village the Lodge will be seen on the left (a little out of Brasted). When inside the golf/school grounds follow directions above.

Brasted Lodge is located between Brasted & Westerham (not in either village). When traveling from the the East we suggest you go past the Lodge & enter the grounds via Valence School/Westerham Golf Course access road, located on the left side of the A25. Once in the grounds (please follow the above directions) but all one needs to do is follow the left hand Laurel Hedge bordering the road

HISTORY reference to Capability Lancelot Brown, Valence landscaped gardens, can be found at http://www.parksandgardens.org/places-and-people/site/3355/summary

The land surrounding Brasted Lodge has parkland, water and woodland gardens, first developed in the mid 1700 and later landscaped by Lancelot Brown in the late C18; further developments were undertaken by Edward Milner in the mid-C19 and by Henry Ernest Milner in the late C19, surrounding a late Victorian Mansion now known as Valence School which is a special need school for disabled children. This Mansion is located along way from the Lodge and consequently we never see staff or any children as all are transported by mini buses who use their own access route.

The earliest references to the estate itself may be found in the Westerham church records of 1583.

The Mansion with four Gate Keepers Lodges was built & owned by Norman Watney (owner of the very famous Watney Ale, very well known in the war years). Watney appointed Architect Frederick J. Robinson to rebuild a new Mansion (Valence School) and four Lodge houses, one of which is Brasted Lodge. This was done as Watney saw better opportunities for the mansion to be located high on the hill. The old Mansion was not ideally located (on the inner crossroads to Brasted Lodge, Westerham Golf Club and Fountains Cottages - now demolished & rebuilt as five detached homes). This offered Watney magnificent views of the North Downs. Although demolition of the original Mansion resulted, evidence of the Stable block with the Avenue of Lime trees (leading from the A25 to the original mansion) and Ice House, still remained to this day. Unfortunately fire destroyed the disused stable block so in 2011 this was redeveloped into Fountains Park. The Stable Block (known as Fountains Cottages and used by the Valence School Staff for living accommodation), was demolished after fire destroyed the L shaped building. This mainly came about as KCC vacated some eight or nine years previously, allowing the building to fall into diss-repair which gave opportunity for development in 2013 of Fountains Park, five detached dwellings on the original Mansions Stable footprint. This also allowed the Developer opportunity to plant low level laurels bounding the site.

Valence School is a red-brick Tudor Elizabethan Revival style mansion, with two towers, stone and tile dressing, half timbered gables and a Cumberland slate roof. This and Brasted Lodge was built between 1885-87 by local Brasted builders, R. Durtnell & Sons Ltd. Valence School stands on a spur of high ground at c125 metres surrounded by areas of steeply-sloping parkland and woodland.

By 1890, Dunsdale and Valence estates became the property of Watney brewery director, Norman Watney. Dunsdale mansion became tenanted and during the First World War it was used by the Red Cross as a hospital to nurse the war-wounded.

In 1987, Valence Wood was severely depleted by the ravaging October storm. The opportunity was taken to fashion a golf course covering the area of Valence Wood, and the adjacent parkland to the north and north-east. This opened as a privately-owned golf club in 1997.

PRIOR to ARRIVAL Please ensure we have your full details including mobile telephone number, as this may help us guide you to the Lodge if for any reason you need this service. This also assist arrival times, should your flight be delayed.