It’s time to sip back and relax
Wine hotel plans for Archbishop’s Palace
A boutique wine hotel looks set to open in one of Maidstone’s most historic buildings. Maidstone council has accepted an entrepreneur’s plans to create the venue at Archbishop’s Palace.
Richard Balfour-Lynn’s plans for the 14th century building include creating three new buildings for luxury bedrooms in the grounds overlooking the rivers Medway and Len.
The businessman, who owns Balfour Winery on the Hush Heath Esate in Staplehurst, wants the hotel to boast restaurants and bars and state-ofthe-art wedding and conference facilities.
Proposals also include a wine and viticultural education centre at the heart of the palace, with a key focus on English wine and spirits and an emphasis on Kent-based producers. Mr Balfour-Lynn has an exclusive six-month contract to develop the plans with Maidstone Borough Council.
After then, if all goes well, the palace will remain open to the public as a “well-loved historic site”.
Balfour Winery is part of a group known as the Wine Garden of England, a partnership of the eight major wineries in
Kent formed a few years ago to promote the growing wine tourism sector.
Mr Balfour-Lynn hopes the project will help him create a wine tourist map - similar to the likes of Napa Valley in California, Margaret River in Australia and the Champagne region in France.
His vision is that with Maidstone only being an hour away from London it will become the “urban centre of the Kent wine industry”, with the Archbishop’s Palace being the “hub and focal point” for all Kent wineries.
He said: “The Archbishop’s Palace will become both the champion and beating heart of Kent wines, spirits and local
food produce.
“Part of our plans will be to run tutored wine tastings as well as wine making and viticultural courses from the venue with the palace becoming the centre of the Kent wine tourist sector, attracting visitors from London and further afield. Authenticity will lie at the heart of the offer.” It is hoped the plans will “enhance the town’s reputation”, as well as create more than 100 jobs.
Council leader David Burton said: “It’s very early days but Richard has a long and successful business career behind him and we should give him time to formulate his ideas. We’re very excited to see what he comes up with.”