The beautiful Grade I-listed 650-year-old manor house and gardens which survived dereliction twice, now lovingly restored
Otham Farm in Kent has been rescued, altered and extended again and again. It has now been restored and its gardens salvaged, returning it to a stunning family home. Penny Churchill reports.


Almost exactly 100 years ago, a lengthy article in Country Life by the architect and architectural historian Philip Mainwaring Johnston (August 30, 1919) traced the history of Otham Manor at Otham, near Bearsted, Kent. From origins as a late-14th-century Wealden hall house, the property was enlarged in the 16th century, split into cottages in the 18th century and rescued, altered and further extended in the early 20th century.
Mixed fortunes in the later 20th century saw the house, alternatively known as Wardes and listed Grade I, again reduced to a state of semi-dereliction by the early 1990s. It was then bought by current owners Dominic and Christine Fisher, who have painstaking restored and enhanced the house and gardens. Now, having decided to downsize and move back to London, the Fishers have placed their cherished, 650-year-old masterpiece on the market with Knight Frank at a guide price of £2.15 million.
Wardes, as it was then known, was an L-shaped group of dilapidated, half-timbered cottages, when, in 1912, Sir Louis Mallet, then the British Ambassador in Constantinople, ‘detected amid the ruin and squalor the possibility of restoring an exceptionally fine old timber house to something like its pristine beauty’.
Dating from about 1370–80, it’s the earliest of several ancient houses in the pretty hilltop village of Otham that were saved from dereliction at the 11th hour – among them the 15th-century Synyards and Stoneacre, the latter – now owned by the National Trust.
Otham Manor sits discreetly at the southern end of the village, unseen until one enters the drive. For the purist, the most interesting feature of the house is probably the 14th-century section, which runs from north to south and is ‘a practically perfect example of a timber house of Edward III’s reign – not the largest or the small type of house, but the comparatively rare type of intermediate size, inhabited by the less important gentry, the prosperous merchant or yeoman, who seem to have thriven especially in Kent at this time’.
Architecturally, compared with the south, the north front is perceived to be the more complete, as it retains the central space occupied by the Great Hall and the east and west double-storey wings. The late-16th-century timber-framed rear wing runs west from the end of the north bay, which it slightly overlaps, with the 1912 extension attached to the north side of the 16th-century wing.
Passing out by the south door through the formal garden, today’s visitor can still get a perfect view of the south front of the original hall and its long Elizabethan wing, with the modern (1912) additions in admirable harmony on the left.
Sign up for the Country Life Newsletter
Exquisite houses, the beauty of Nature, and how to get the most from your life, straight to your inbox.
The highlight of the Elizabethan wing is the lovely old sitting room, with its heavy timbers, wide open fireplace and cleverly painted frieze by Philip Tilden, whose career as an architect and interior decorator was boosted by a series of well-connected patrons, among them Sir Louis Mallet.
A door to the right of the great fireplace leads to the former dining room, which is now the kitchen – a pleasant room, almost square in shape with a beamed ceiling and mullioned windows.
Sir Louis died in 1936, by which time his beloved Wardes had already had a succession of distinguished owners, until, in the 1950s, the market for large country houses collapsed, and rural seats were being sold for a fraction of their former value.
In May 1957, an advertisement in Country Life offered the charming old half-timbered manor house for sale at a ‘Knock-out’ price of £7,950 through Osborn & Mercer. Described as ‘Easily the Greatest Bargain in the Market’, it boasted a ‘magnificent Great Hall, 4 reception rooms, 5 principal and 4 secondary bedrooms and 3 bathrooms, plus mains electricity and water’.
It’s fair to assume that Sir Louis would still be spinning in his grave had Mr and Mrs Fisher not picked up the pieces at Otham Manor when it came back to the market ‘in a shocking state’ in 1992, having been seriously neglected for many years. They completed the purchase in January 1993 and embarked on the mammoth task of renovating the house and gardens. By then, the latter were non-existent.
‘We set about the work in phases – re-plumbing, rewiring, upgrading bathrooms, installing a new kitchen and a self-contained annexe and, finally, rebuilding the roof – in 2012. The gardens were a complete wilderness, but, gradually, we got things under control and, once again, they form a wonderful backdrop to the house,’ Mrs Fisher says, with justifiable pride.
Credit: Strutt and Parker
Best country houses for sale this week
An irresistible West Country cottage and a magnificent Cumbrian country house make our pick of the finest country houses for
Credit: M Dickie / Galbraith
A pocket-sized 'castle' for sale in the heart of the Highlands at the price of a city flat
Castle Tar must be one of the smallest 'castles' for sale in Britain today, but what it lacks in scale
Credit: Savills
Four absolutely glorious properties, as seen in Country Life
Credit: H Tiddy
12 stunning character properties for sale at under £400,000
Thatched homes in Cornwall and West Sussex are among the many highlights of these gorgeous character cottages for sale.
-
Six rural properties with space, charm and endless views, as seen in Country Life
We take a look at some of the best houses to come to the market via Country Life in the past week.
By Toby Keel Published
-
Exploring the countryside is essential for our wellbeing, but Right to Roam is going backwards
Campaigners in England often point to Scotland as an example of how brilliantly Right to Roam works, but it's not all it's cracked up to be, says Patrick Galbraith.
By Patrick Galbraith Published
-
Six rural properties with space, charm and endless views, as seen in Country Life
We take a look at some of the best houses to come to the market via Country Life in the past week.
By Toby Keel Published
-
380 acres and 90 bedrooms on the £25m private island being sold by one of Britain's top music producers
Stormzy, Rihanna and the Rolling Stones are just a part of the story at Osea Island, a dot on the map in the seas off Essex.
By Lotte Brundle Published
-
A home cinema, tasteful interiors and 65 acres of private parkland hidden in an unassuming lodge in Kent
North Lodge near Tonbridge may seem relatively simple, but there is a lot more than what meets the eye.
By James Fisher Published
-
A rare opportunity to own a family home on Vanbrugh Terrace, one of London's finest streets
This six-bedroom Victorian home sits right on the start line of the London Marathon, with easy access to Blackheath and Greenwich Park.
By James Fisher Published
-
A tale of everyday life as lived on Britain's most expensive street
Winnington Road in Hampstead has an average house price of £11.9 million. But what's it really like? Lotte Brundle went to find out.
By Lotte Brundle Last updated
-
Damon Hill's former home in Marbella is the perfect place to slow down
The glorious Andalusian-style villa is found within the Lomas de Marbella Club and just a short walk from the beach.
By James Fisher Published
-
A 327-acre estate in the heart of 'England’s Côte d’Or', with a 26,000sq ft Georgian style home at its heart
Stokes Hall in the Crouch Valley is an inspiring property looking for a new owner.
By Penny Churchill Published
-
Schreiber House, 'the most significant London townhouse of the second half of the 20th century', is up for sale
The five-bedroom Modernist masterpiece sits on the edge of Hampstead Heath.
By Lotte Brundle Published