Restoration House

We are excited to be returning to this wonderful house and garden for a second time. The owners Robert Tucker and Jonathan Wilmot have kindly invited us back for a private tour of the house and garden.

Restoration House is where Charles II launched his restoration to the throne in May 1660. It is also the house on which Dickens based Miss Havisham’s Satis house.  Grade 1 listed and known for its extraordinary interiors of rare collections and sympathetic conservation, Simon Jenkins proclaims in England’s 1000 Best Houses that there is ‘No finer pre–Civil War townhouse than this. The gardens have been beautifully restored (see notes from September 2025 visit) and much progress has been made on the Italian garden.

Rochester Cathedral gardens

After our visit to Restoration House, we will take a short walk to the beautiful 11th Century Cathedral where we will be met by Dean Philip Hesketh for a private visit of the gardens. I am extremely grateful to the Dean for allowing us to see the fine private courtyard gardens. You will be free to have a short visit of the Cathedral before lunch.

Cooling Castle, Cooling, Kent

The afternoon visit is to the extraordinary medieval Cooling Castle, the home of Jools Holland, who has kindly opened his gate to EBTS for a very rare private visit. The castle was a ruin when he bought it in the summer of 1999 and over the last twenty-five years it has been reimagined as a fine medieval garden with  many hidden areas. The castle was first recorded in 1380, and again in 1400 as the home of Lord Cobham. It was besieged in 1554 after which it was allowed to deteriorate. Jools has lovingly restored the house and garden taking direct references from Medieval manuscripts and Sir Frank Crisp’s ‘Medieval Gardens’. (Sir Frank Crisp lived at Friar Park and is known for the planting of its renowned topiary).

Over the last 25 years the garden has been developed, including retaining the original yew avenue form the 1550’s on the L shaped island surrounding the outer castle. The moat has now been restored and surrounds the fine walls on two sides of the castle which is in two parts. On entering the garden the drive is lined with fine pyramidal yews that lead you through to adjoining areas of the garden: a potager, the temple garden, a crenelated maze (planted in 2004), the grass labyrinth within the inner castle walls and then out further into the fields a ‘green church’ based on the green cathedral outside Amsterdam. The Medway is a fascinating hidden part of Kent with the mouth of the Thames under two miles from the Castle. We are so grateful to Jools and his wife, Christabel, for allowing this visit which will be guided by the head gardener Paul, who has worked at Cooling for over 20 years.