Kentish Gazette Canterbury & District
Holiday home bid for Kitchener’s old gothic cottage
Renovation plans submitted by estate owners
Hotel bosses want to turn Lord Kitchener’s former cottage on a sprawling country estate in Canterbury into a swanky holiday home.
Hong Kong-based management firm Pyrrho Investment - which owns Broome Park in Barham - has revealed ambitious plans to renovate a rundown 18th century house at the site.
They say Flint Cottage, also known as Steward’s House, can become an attractive venue for wedding stays and family holidays.
Located on the 250-acre estate at Broome Park, the picturesque building sits away from the mansion and 18-hole golf course. It is thought to have been the temporary residence of Lord Herbert Kitchener - who owned the Barham site - while alterations to the main mansion were carried out.
But in recent years, the gothic cottage has fallen into a dire state of disrepair and is suffering from prolonged exposure to water, decaying timber frames and algae growths. Pyrrho Investment, which bought Broome Park for £6 million in 2017, wants to give the listed building a new lease of life and has submitted proposals to Canterbury City Council. If granted permission, four en-suite bedrooms will be installed, along with one bridal suite and a shared social area for group bookings and a small outside terrace area. Flintwork will be repointed and repaired, including a bulge in the stonework at the rear of the property. Documents compiled by architects Lee Evans Partnership state: “The current condition is poor and has had unsympathetic treatment in the past, which has left the building without a purpose in the Estate and therefore given it an uncertain future.
“These proposals aim to make Flint Cottage a key building in the functioning of the estate for use as a wonderful and characterful building to provide guest accommodation.
“The owner of Broome Park is passionate about Flint Cottage. The building’s uniqueness and characterful exuberance means that this is perfectly achievable within the site.
The cottage is thought to have been built in 1778 by Sir Henry Oxenden. Considered one of the finest examples of Carolean architecture in England, Broome Park currently boasts numerous holiday apartments and lodges. Lord Kitchener purchased the estate in 1911 from the Oxenden family for £14,000 but he died just five years later.
The estate was then broken up and parts of the park sold into separate ownerships, before a golf course, designed by Donald Steel opened in 1981.