Plaxtol, Kent, England
The Culpeper Family at Old Soar
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Standing two miles from Plaxtol village, Old Soar
Manor consists of only six rooms on two floors,
including a chapel. Built by the Culpeper of Aylesford family in 1290,
it
has been described as being a remarkable example of an unspoiled
knightly dwelling of the reign of Edward I, and one of the most
notable survivors of 13th century domestic architecture.
Walter Culpeper4a died circa 1327 with it in his
possession, and it continued in the Culpeper family until Sir
Thomas Culpeper13a sold it in 1601 to Nicholas Miller
for £2000. Walter, custodian of Leed's Castle, was executed
after incurring the King’s displeasure over an incident when Walter
refused Queen
Isabella, wife of Edward II, admission to the Castle.
(Hasted's Kent, Vol. V, pp 22-23.)
Old Soar "Haunted
House" Story
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Old Soar Manor, Plaxtol, Kent
Photograph taken by Warren Culpepper
October 1999
Location: On Old Soar Road, 2.5 miles S of
Borough Green, 13 miles NW of Goudhurst and 9 miles WSW of
Maidstone.
National Grid Coordinates: TQ
618 542
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Fairlawn Manor
Fairlawn was anciently the estate of the family of Bavent.
Subsequently, it was held by the Culpeper family. At the time of his death
in 1327, Walter Culpeper4a, who also held Old Soar (above),
held Fairlawn in frank fee of Roger de Bavent, in which name it
continued until about 1410, when it was sold to John Chowne.
(Hasted's Kent, Vol. V, pp 23-24.)
Location: S of Plaxtol Lane and W of the A-227, 1
mile W of Plaxtol, 14 miles NW of Goudhurst and 10 miles WSW of
Maidstone.
National Grid Coordinates: TQ
594 535
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Fairlawn Manor, March 2000
Photo taken by Warren Culpepper
Of the 50+ old Culpeper English manors and estates
visited and photographed by me during my visits in October 1999 and March
2000, this was the only home from which I was rudely treated. As I was
attempting to take a photo from outside the gate, a security guard ordered
me away and called the police. I later quietly slipped back and hurriedly
snapped the above photograph. - Warren Culpepper |
Plaxtol, Kent
Location: 10 miles W of Maidstone off the A227; 12 miles NW of
Goudhurst.
National Grid Coordinates: TQ
602 536
A row of traditional Kentish weatherboard cottages flanks the side of
the parish church of Plaxtol, a hilly village occupying a prominent
location on the ridge near Ightham Mote. Just to the east of the village,
and reached through a circuitous succession of narrow lanes, is Old Soar
Manor, a manor house built in the 13th century. The house occupies the
solar block of the original building, which served as a knight's dwelling.
Of particular interest are the undercrofts below it, with graceful vaults
curving upwards.
The setting of Old Soar Manor is idyllic, with orchards and copses
surrounding it. The woods grow more dense as they climb the ridge rising
up from the orchards; at the top is one of southern England's largest
forests, Mereworth Woods. Wild boar once roamed through its oaks and
beeches, although today the wildlife is of a tamer variety.
Even closer to Plaxtol, but in the opposite direction from Old Soar
Mansion, is Ightham Mote, one of England's finest Medieval manor houses.
This gem of a building, owned by the National Trust, is set in a narrow
wooded valley roughly halfway between Plaxtol and the even smaller village
of Ivy Hatch. A moat surrounds the house, although the name
"mote" probably refers instead to an Old English word meaning
"meeting place".
 Ightham Mote
was built in the 14th century, with its central courtyard retaining the
meeting-place purpose. The outside walls, above the moat, are of soft
rag-stone, which catches the evening light with a warm glow. The
construction inside utilized great amounts of local oak, with massive
timbers still very much in evidence in the rafters and central hall (the
solar), as well as in the main staircase, built in Jacobean times.
Igtham Mote - Culpepper Connection. James Morton-Robertson lives
in the village of Kemsing,
between Sevenoaks and Plaxtol, and he wrote on 15 Nov 2008: "Ightham
Mote which is near Plaxtol has a strong Culpepper connection. Their
coat of arms are displayed on one of the stained glass windows. Other
images include the pomegranate of Catherine of Aragon.
Ightham Mote Location: On Mote Road, west of the A-227.
National Grid Coordinates: TQ
586 534
Source: Sean Connolly, Ed., "Plaxtol", The
Hidden Places of Kent, Travel Publishing, Ltd., 1998., pages 51-52.
Ightham Mote "Haunted House"
Story
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Last Revised:
02 Jan 2015
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