Somerhill Park, Tonbridge, England

The house is sited on top of a hill, influenced by the site of the well, and there are views over to Tonbridge to the north-west. It was built by Thorpe in 1613. It was originally part of the manor of South Frith. The manor was sold off piecemeal in the 17th century following the high living of the ‘Princess of Babylon' and her three husbands. (See reference to book by A Oswald). The north part of the house dates from 1611 and is situated on an eminent hill, with a park of 1200 hectares, but has nothing else extraordinary.

A Turner painting of 1811 shows the house looking down the hill to the meadows and broad lake at its foot.

Horace Walpole, in the l750s-1760s wrote: ‘The house is little better than a farm, but has been an excellent one and is entire though out of repair .... It stands high, commands a vast landscape beautifully wooded and has quantities of large old trees to shelter itself, some of which might well be spared to open the view.'

The Palladian style Jacobean stonework of the house was added to and extended in 1849, by Sir Isaac Goldsmid (then the new owner). He also added a prominent clock tower. Other additions at this time were a rustic hut on the back lane amongst gnarled old trees. A public footpath in dressed stone cuts under the main drive and is very picturesque and Victorian. A pretty stone bridge and lodge cottage are by the lake at the west end of the path. A weir is in the lake.

The following is from the English Heritage Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest. 

HISTORIC DEVELOPMENT

The land occupied by Somerhill lay within the South Frith, which formed part of the Lowy or domain of Tonbridge in possession of the earls of Gloucester. It was given by Queen Elizabeth in 1601 to Frances, widow of the Earl of Essex, and her husband Richard de Burgh, fourth Earl Clanricarde, who built the present house in 1611. His son, Ulick, later created Marquess of Clanricarde, inherited in 1636 but due to his Catholic and Royalist sympathies, had his estates sequestered in 1645 by Parliament which voted them to John Bradshaw. After the Restoration, Somerhill was returned to Ulick's daughter Margaret, Lady Muskerry, who in the late 17th century sold off much of the estate leaving little more than the house and park. These were purchased in 1712 by John Woodgate of Penshurst for whose family J M W Turner painted a view of the west front in 1810-11 (reproduced in Country Life 1922). Somerhill was sold in 1816 to James Alexander who altered the house, laid out the terrace gardens, and remodelled the park, after which, in 1849, it was purchased by Sir Isaac Lyon Goldsmid. His grandson, Julian, having inherited in 1866, restored the house, added the north wing, and further developed the formal gardens. The estate passed in 1896 to Mr Osmond D'Avigdor Goldsmid, remaining in his family until the house, gardens, and park were sold by Sir Henry D'Avigdor's daughter in 1981. Three owners followed in quick succession until in 1988 the house and gardens and about 61 hectares of parkland were bought by Yardley Court School. The site remains (1998) in the combined hands of The Schools at Somerhill, the Hadlow estate, and several smaller private owners.