Ightham Mote (pronounced like "item moat") is a medieval moated manor house close to the village of Ightham, near Sevenoaks in Kent.

Originally dating to around 1330, the building is of note as its successive owners effected relatively few changes to the main structure for the 650 years it was occupied. It was bequeathed to the National Trust in 1985 through the will of an American businessman, Charles Henry Robinson , who had bought it in 1956.

It therefore remains a snapshot of how such houses would have looked in the Middle Ages. Nikolaus Pevsner called it 'the most complete small medieval manor house in the country'. During the 19th century a female skeleton was found walled up behind a blocked service door.

In the late 1980s the National Trust began an ambitious restoration project which involved dismantling much of the building and recording its construction methods before rebuilding it. The project ended in 2004 after uncovering numerous examples of structural and ornamental features which had been covered up by later additions.

Ightham Mote and its gardens are open to the public.

External link

Time Team programe on Ightham Mote