‘The oldest house in England’, once lived in by William the Conqueror’s brother, is up for sale
The assertion that a particular house is the oldest in the country is as impossible to prove as it is to refute, but Luddesdown Court probably has as good a claim as any – and it's now on the market.


The sales details for historic, Grade I-listed Luddesdown Court, near Cobham, Kent – currently on the market with Knight Frank at a guide price of £3.5 million – suggest that the former manor house, which was held by William the Conqueror’s half-brother, Odo, until his disgrace in 1082, may be ‘the oldest continually occupied house in the country’.
It is a debate that has exercised the minds of successive generations of Country Life readers. In 1931, Knight Frank’s Arthur J. Burrows described Luddesdown as ‘the oldest court lodge in Kent’ and ‘presumably one of the most ancient continuously inhabited domestic buildings in the kingdom’.
At that time, it was owned by a Mr Cobbett Barker, ‘who has done much towards disclosing the appearance it must have had when first erected about the year 1120’. Then, as now, it was ‘an L-shaped structure with immensely thick rubble walls of Caen stone... with the Great Hall, in which the courts would be held, located on the first floor’.
Some 33 years later, in June 1964, when offers over £30,000 were sought by Knight, Frank and Rutley and John D. Wood, a Country Life article agreed that ‘it would be difficult to substantiate – or indeed to refute – a claim that any particular house is the oldest one in England. Nevertheless, there can be no question that Luddesdown Manor, near Meopham, Kent, is one of the oldest houses to have been in continuous occupation since it was built’.
Whatever the facts of the matter, lofty Luddesdown Court, set in some 23 acres of formal gardens, grounds and paddock, surrounded by open countryside yet only 26 miles from Canary Wharf, has weathered the centuries well.
The atmospheric, 6,820sq ft house also has a sumptuous 3,000sq ft swimming-pool complex – that at least is a more modern addition.
There are also more than 2,000sq ft of outbuildings, offers historic living at its finest, with four reception rooms, a dove house, the magnificent Great Hall and minstrels’ gallery and five good-sized bedrooms.
Exquisite houses, the beauty of Nature, and how to get the most from your life, straight to your inbox.
Luddesdown Court is for sale via Knight Frank at £3.5m – see more pictures and details.
A beautiful country house and gardens in a startlingly picturesque medieval fishing village
St Adrians is a dream of a house: the delightful features of a fine country house, yet not so big
Seven spectacular properties in Italy, from a perfect medieval farmhouse to a stunning Florentine palace
A second home in Italy is a dream come true for many – we've picked out six of the finest
Lyddington Palace: A perfectly-preserved grand interior of late-medieval England
A residence of the Bishop of Lincoln converted into an almshouse offers a unique insight into the realities of grand
Longthorpe Tower's 700-year-old insight into the medieval mind
This surviving cycle of 14th-century paintings still has the power to intrigue, amuse and inform. It also offers a remarkable
Great Chalfield Manor: How this medieval house was loved back to life
In the second of two articles, Clive Aslet reveals how this medieval manor house was loved back to life by
-
Do not be afraid of this bodysnatching fungi that lives on a lawn in Scotland
The lawns at Haddo House in Aberdeenshire are luscious and friendly, unless you are the prey of the vile 'Strathy Strangler'.
By James Fisher Published
-
It's a perfect storm for the revival of eclecticism, and we're in the middle of it
In design, periods of purism are often followed by a dramatic new mood. Now, the scene is set for an exciting revival of eclecticism.
By Arabella Youens Published
-
An outrageously opulent mansion in London's answer to Beverly Hills, with a gym that 'wouldn't look out of place in a 7* hotel'
'One of the finest houses in St George's Hill' is on the market. Annabel Dixon takes a look at what's on offer.
By Annabel Dixon Published
-
Six homes with fantastic features, from pools and paddocks to waterside settings, as seen in Country Life
Our look at the best homes to come to the market via Country Life this week includes a Chipping Norton farm and a Cornish dream home
By Toby Keel Published
-
Queen Victoria's chaplain's house on the Isle of Wight is for sale, and it's a riot of colour, charm and joy
A stone's thrown from Queen Victoria's beloved Osborne House on the Isle of Wight, the house where her chaplain lived is now on the open market.
By Penny Churchill Published
-
An Art Deco masterpiece with five-bedrooms, a private pool, a cinema, a helipad and the ability to conquer oceans
Lady Christine is the very essence of opulence and could be yours for a cool €55.75 million.
By James Fisher Published
-
The elegant 19th century townhouse where JFK and Jackie Kennedy dreamed of the presidency, and made their wish came true
This beautiful five-bedroom house in Washington DC's Georgetown was once home to perhaps the most celebrated couple of the 20th century: John F. Kennedy and his wife, Jackie Kennedy.
By Toby Keel Published
-
This five-bedroom thatched cottage in the Chilterns looks quite like Claudia Winkleman
Much like everyone's favourite TV host, this property is beautifully presented.
By James Fisher Published
-
A heartbreakingly pretty old rectory in the idyllic Cotswolds valley that offers charm, beauty, sophistication and a fast train to London
Penny Churchill takes a look at the Old Rectory in Charlbury, which has become available for the first time in almost 35 years.
By Penny Churchill Published
-
The abolition of Stamp Duty: Will it happen? Could it happen? What would replace it? And what would be the impact?
The Conservative Party promises to abolish Stamp Duty on primary residences if it wins the next election. We canvassed property experts from across the housing industry to see what the impact would be.
By Toby Keel Last updated