Belmont Castle

Belmont Castle was built c. 1795 for Zachariah Button, a wealthy local landowner, who also owned a neighbouring chalk quarry. During the 1840s, when the property was occupied by the Webb family, it was the seat of local cricket matches as well as a circle of music lovers mentioned by the pianist and writer Alice Diehl in her memoirs. One of its later owners, Edward R. Parker, who lived at Belmont Castle from 1880 until 1900, was chairman of the board of governors Orsett of the Poor Law Union board of governors. During his time there, Belmont's park was often used for local events, including a political rally in support of the Franchise Bill attended by 2000-3000 people in 1884. In the 20th…

c. 1830]] The house was designed as an imitation of a medieval baronial castle with battlements and a four-story tower overlooking the River Thames. Early visitors commented on the luxuriousness and elegance of its interior fittings which matched the neo-Gothic style of its exterior. The library was oval shaped with fitted book cases and mouldings and opened out to a double flight of stone steps descending to a terrace. Its grounds contained a large walled kitchen garden which included fruit trees and a hothouse. Surrounding the house were extensive pleasure grounds, landscaped with forest trees, shrubs, and plants. These terminated on the west side at a Gothic temple and on the east with…