Scotney Castle
Kent, England
Photo: User:Jasper33, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Gallery: DeFacto, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Lieven Smits, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Key facts
- Operator
- National Trust
- Condition
- Partial ruin
- Access
- Staffed, ticketed
- Entry pass
- National Trust Explorer Pass
- Nearest station
- Wadhurst, 4.3 miles (straight-line)
- Stays
- Overnight accommodation available
- Note
- Moated medieval Old Castle ruin below Victorian mansion
Pinpoint
Tunbridge Wells TN3 8JN
Telephone 01892 893820
Opening Hours
Opening times change. Always check the official website before you travel.
| 31 August - 27 December | Old Castle (exterior access only) closed |
The property gates open at 10am and close at 5pm, please do not arrive before opening. Last entry is permitted up to 30 minutes before the advertised closing time. The Old Castle interior is closed, but visitors can walk around the grounds.
Checked against the official page on 25 August 2026.
Visitor essentials
- Parking
- Car parking must be pre-booked in advance to guarantee entry during 2026 due to ongoing works in the overflow field.
- Dogs
- Rated a three-pawprint site; dogs on leads are welcome across the estate, garden and cafe.
A moated medieval ruin deliberately kept standing as a picturesque folly below a Victorian mansion, whose 19th-century owner quarried the new house's stone from the old castle's own hillside and then left the ruin in place purely for the view of it. The gardens - rhododendrons, azaleas, roses depending on the season - are as much the draw as either building.
At a glance
Worth the trip
The view down from the mansion terrace to the moated ruin below - the whole point of how the estate was designed.
Before you go
You'll need a car to reach it and parking fills up early on good days; tours of the castle ruin itself run on selected days only, so check ahead if that's the priority rather than the gardens.
What visitors say
Scotney Castle reviews · 4.7 / 5 across 6,963 Google reviews
Reviewers consistently love the combination of the lived-in mansion and the romantic castle ruins in the gardens below, describing it as feeling like two properties in one.
The gardens, cafe and helpful staff are repeatedly praised, and mobility scooters are available for the walk down to the ruins.
One reviewer notes a car is needed to reach the site and parking can get busy, so arriving early is recommended.
“Definitely worth a visit here. You will need a vehicle to reach this location.”- Solo traveller London, visitor review
Within reach of Southend-on-Sea (34 miles), London (37 miles) - see what else is nearby.
Getting in - what National Trust says
Accessible parking spaces in the main car park, though all parking must be pre-booked via the Scotney website or the NT app by 9am on the day of visit. Level access from the car park to the shop, tea-room and mansion house. An external lift gives wheelchair access to the ground floor of the mansion house, and a video tour of the upstairs rooms is offered to visitors unable to use the stairs. The g
Taken from National Trust’s own website and read 28 July 2026 - check the current version. Access can change with building work, weather and staffing - if the visit depends on it, ring ahead.
History
Roger Ashburnham · c.1378-1380; remodelled 1580 (Elizabethan); c.1630 (Inigo Jones style)
First recorded in 1137 under Lambert de Scoteni, the castle was built around 1378–1380 by Roger Ashburnham. It was remodelled in Elizabethan style (1580) and expanded with Inigo Jones-style construction (c.1630). The Darrell family held it for 350 years before Edward Hussey purchased the estate in 1778 and built the new castle nearby as a Georgian viewpoint, leaving the medieval structure as a picturesque garden feature.
Adapted from this castle's Wikipedia article, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Practical notes from visitors
Quoted from individual Google reviews, not verified with the operator - treat as a steer, not gospel, and check before you travel.
- Parking
- “Do get there early as parking can be very busy.” - Solo traveller London
- Facilities
- “Also worth mentioning a) the guides within the house who were very informative and b) the cafe which provided a range of tempting morsels.” - Graham Pritchard
Common questions about Scotney Castle
Where is Scotney Castle?
Scotney Castle is in Kent, England, at Tunbridge Wells TN3 8JN.
Do you need a ticket to visit Scotney Castle?
Yes - Scotney Castle is a staffed, ticketed attraction run by National Trust. Ticket prices and opening hours change through the year, so check the official site before travelling.
Can you stay overnight at Scotney Castle?
Yes - Scotney Castle offers bookable accommodation, so you can spend the night in the castle itself or within its grounds. See the Castles You Can Sleep In guide for the full list and how each stay works.
What is the highlight of visiting Scotney Castle?
The view down from the mansion terrace to the moated ruin below - the whole point of how the estate was designed.
Is Scotney Castle a ruin or still intact?
Scotney Castle is a partial ruin - Moated medieval Old Castle ruin below Victorian mansion.
