Springfield Oast - piece of Kent history

We transformed this grade II-listed oast house into high quality, characterful, spacious accommodation in 2017 (2 bedrooms, 2.5 bathrooms). Oast houses are a real feature of the Kentish landscape. Springfield Oast is in our garden & has views of trees and fields. Guests have their own courtyard and can also use our huge garden. Perfectly located for Kent's historic castles and gardens; London & beaches are also within an hour; several lovely local footpaths. Cleaned to an excellent standard. The oast house is upside down in layout so that the living room benefits from all the height of the kiln roof and views across fields. It has a 'spindle' connecting from the white tip outside and this turns indoors on windy days. The kitchen is spacious and enjoys a Juliette balcony overlooking our garden with its peaceful willow trees. On the middle floor is a twin room that can instead be made up as a 6' wide super king if you prefer (let me know when booking). This has ensuite toilet and basin. In addition there is a shower room on the ground floor for users of this room. On the ground floor is the master bedroom with kingsize bed and a further ensuite bathroom (bath with shower over). Leading from this bedroom is a secluded and sunny courtyard just for guests. In addition guests are welcome to use our massive garden which contains tyre swing, trampoline, wendy house and chickens (but no cockerel!). Springfield Oast has a number of different floor levels, which is part of its original agricultural design, so guests need to be confident on stairs. We are happy to welcome children of any age so long as you can cope with unfenced stairs! We can supply cot, high chair, potty, baby bath. I can put stair gates up in the living room, request at time of booking, which means in this room you have peace of mind but bear in mind there will be ungated stairs elsewhere (e.g. leading up from the kitchen, one in the master bedroom). Parents please note that Springfield Oast is next to our outdoor pool; this is fenced (waist height) with locked gates. The pool is for our family's use. To respect your privacy we will not use it when you are in the oast house. Springfield Oast is detached and has its own private courtyard garden. Guest access is through our garden which guests are welcome to make use of. The garden is nearly 2 acres so there is plenty of room. Guests can park up to 2 cars on our driveway, again there is plenty of space. We are on site in our house next door, available to answer any questions and give advice about the local area but not intrusive. We have three children (15, 12 & 8). Our eight year old son is keen to make new friends but we also understand if this doesn't work for you. Mereworth (“Merry-worth”) is a typical Kentish village and is famous for growing strawberries. Our next door neighbour is the "exclusive" strawberry supplier to the Wimbledon Tennis Championships and we get strawberries from the farm. 100 years ago the region was famous for growing hops (these give flavour to beer) and that is why there are many oast houses dotted all over Kent. Their white tips, called 'cowls', give them a distinctive look in the landscape. Mereworth village has a spectacular church with a local reputation for its delicious cakes and cream teas in the summer. There is a village pub a short drive away and a pub renowned for its beer, food and setting is a 20 minute walk away in West Peckham (The Swan on The Green). Mereworth Woods stretch for miles and you can walk to them from the doorstep. Within a short drive are loads of castles and stately homes (e.g. Leeds, Tonbridge, Hever, Bodiam, Ightam Mote, Penshurst, Knole...). Further historic connections are to Charles Darwin who lived nearby at Down House and Winston Churchill who lived nearby at Chartwell, and Canterbury is within an hour's drive. There are lots of farms and zoos for family days out. It is easy to get to London by train in about an hour. Also there are many nice beaches within 45-60 minutes all around the Kent coast (e.g. Whitstable, Broadstairs, Camber Sands). A car is useful but you could manage on public transport and go on local walks. The property is well served by buses: Arriva 7, 77 and Nu-Venture 147, 148 and 151. Nearest station is at West Malling which has a taxi rank. Tonbridge station connects in via the Arriva buses (e.g. Number 7 runs every 20 minutes). In 2022 the cowl (the white tip on the top) needs a refurb. It will be removed for three weeks and dates for this are not confirmed. It could therefore be missing during your stay.