Penshurst Place

Thou art not, Penshurst, built to envious show,
Of touch or marble; nor canst boast a row
Of polished pillars, or a roof of gold;
Thou hast no lantern, whereof tales are told,
Or stair, or courts; but stand’st an ancient pile,
And, these grudged at, art reverenced the while.
Thou joy’st in better marks, of soil, of air,
Of wood, of water; therein thou art fair.

The first few lines of the poem ‘To Penshurst’ by Ben Jonson published in 1616 illustrate how highly the poet regarded the beautiful country house Penshurst. By virtue of disregarding what makes other houses, it is, in Jonson’s opinion, far superior.

I went to Kent for a long weekend away in the countryside and my first stop was the fascinating Penshurst Place.

Penshurst has an enchanting history.

Sir John de Pulteney had Penshurst Place built in 1341 and since then it has passed through royalty and notable historic figures.

In 1519, King Henry VIII arrived at Penshurst as the guest of Edward Stafford, the third Duke of Buckingham. The Duke spent around £2500 – over £1 million in today’s money – entertaining the King. However, this may have contributed to his downfall two years later.

Henry had no male heir and he saw the Duke of Buckingham as a threat as he had a strong claim to the throne himself. Henry therefore found an excuse to have him tried for treason and beheaded.

As the estate of a traitor Penshurst became the property of the Crown and from 1521 Henry VIII used it as a hunting lodge.

Years later, Penshurst Place was part of Henry’s divorce settlement with his fourth wife, Anne of Cleves, and it was then briefly in the hands of Sir Ralph Fane before he too was executed for treason. Penshurst was then left to Henry’s son, King Edward VI.

Edward was eager to reward his tutor and steward of his household, Sir William Sidney, so he gave him Penshurst as a gift. The colourful and exciting ownership stories continue: from Sir William Sidney Penshurst passed to his son, Sir Henry Sidney.