Historic houses · South East England
Somerhill House
In or near Tudeley.
Somerhill House — a Grade I-listed historic house in england-south-east, United Kingdom.
N Chadwick — CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons licence
Plan your visit
- Typical visit
- 1 h–2 h
- Nearest railway station
- Tonbridge · 2.3 km
- Family-friendly
- Limited wheelchair access
Getting there & planning your visit
To visit Somerhill House, the nearest railway station is Tonbridge, which is 2.3 km away. The postcode for sat-nav is TN11 0NJ. Accessibility is limited for wheelchair users.
About
Somerhill House is a Grade I-listed building in england-south-east, United Kingdom. Grade I status is conferred by Historic England (or Cadw, Historic Environment Scotland or NIEA equivalents) on buildings of exceptional national interest. See the linked Wikipedia article for full historical and architectural details.
Photo gallery
Protected designations
- Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty: High Weald
- Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty: Kent Downs
Designations sourced from Natural England open data under OGL v3.
From the Wikipedia article
Somerhill House ( SUM-ər-hil) is a Grade I listed Jacobean mansion situated near Tonbridge, Kent, United Kingdom. It was built for The 4th Earl of Clanricarde in 1611–13. The estate was sequestrated by Parliament in 1645, and restored to its rightful owner in 1660. The building had become derelict by the mid-eighteenth century but was later restored. Somerhill was painted by Turner in 1811. It was bought by a member of the Goldsmid family in 1849 and greatly extended between 1879 and 1897, making it the second largest house in Kent, after Knole House, Sevenoaks. Somerhill housed a Prisoner of War camp, Prisoner of War Camp No. 40, during the Second World War, following which it became the home of the d'Avigdor-Goldsmids and was visited by many celebrities of the time. Somerhill was sold by the d'Avigdor-Goldsmids in 1980, and again went into decline, being damaged by vandalism and storms. In 1993, The Schools at Somerhill moved in, as of May 2026 the building is used as a school.
Excerpt from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0. See the source article linked in Sources below.
Background
Description
Somerhill is built of sandstone. The stone also contains iron, which gives it a red colour. This stone is known as Calverley Stone. The house shows the transition from medieval architecture, in which the hall was the main living and entertaining room, to the more modern plan, where the hall became a reception room. Somerhill is one of the earliest examples of this. When built, this was an innovative design.
Sourced from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Coordinates
- 51.1827, 0.3003
- County
- Kent
- District
- Tunbridge Wells
- Parish
- Capel
- Postcode
- TN11 0NJ
- Parliamentary constituency
- Tunbridge Wells
- Nearest railway station
- Tonbridge — 2.3 km
Sources
- wikidata: Q7559754 (CC0)
- wikipedia: Somerhill House (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Other places nearby
The Schools at Somerhill
Natural landmarks · 0.0 km
Lake Bridge
Historic bridges · 1.0 km
Castle Hill, Fort I
Vineyards · 1.2 km
Castle Hill, Fort II
Vineyards · 1.3 km
Church of All Saints
Historic churches · 1.3 km
Tudeley
Towns & cities · 1.3 km
Ye Olde Vauxhall Inn
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Tonbridge Farmers' Market
Farmers’ markets · 1.9 km
Tudeley Woods RSPB reserve
Wildlife reserves · 1.9 km
The Port Reeve's House
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Ye Olde Chequers Inn
Historic pubs · 2.3 km
University of Kent - Tonbridge
Natural landmarks · 2.4 km
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Frequently asked questions
- Where is Somerhill House?
- Somerhill House is in Kent, South-East England, United Kingdom (postcode TN11 0NJ), in the parish of Capel.
- What is Somerhill House?
- Somerhill House — a Grade I-listed historic house in england-south-east, United Kingdom.
- How do I get to Somerhill House?
- The nearest railway station is Tonbridge, about 2.3 km away. Drivers can use postcode TN11 0NJ.
- Who owns Somerhill House?
- Somerhill House is owned by The Schools at Somerhill Charitable Trust.
- Is Somerhill House a listed building?
- Somerhill House is officially recognised as Grade I listed.
- Is Somerhill House a protected site?
- Yes — Somerhill House is part of the High Weald National Landscape (AONB) and the Kent Downs National Landscape (AONB).
- How do I get to Somerhill House?
- The nearest railway station is Tonbridge, about 2.3 km away. Drivers can navigate to postcode TN11 0NJ.