House

Uncover the historic puzzle from Medieval hall through Jacobean splendour to Victorian elegance

Rooms

Rooms: The First Library Rooms: Alan's Bedroom Rooms: The Chinese Room

This attractive room was designed for The Honourable Mrs Bruce Ward in the 1920’s to display her Chinese collection of porcelain and furniture. The wallpaper is hand painted.

Rooms: The Great Chamber Rooms: The Staircase Carving Rooms: The Dining Room Rooms: The White Room Rooms: The Great Hall Rooms: The Staircase

History & People

History & People: Alan Wyndham Green History & People: Captain Nicholas Toke

The flamboyant Captain Nicholas owned the Godinton estate for over fifty years, making him the longest continuous resident of Godinton. He married five times but failed to produce a male heir and is reputed to have died in 1680 at the age of 92 on the way to London to acquire a sixth! You will find his magnificent portrait in the Dining Room, along with his 5th wife, Diana Finch. These portraits were sold at auction in 1896 and disappeared for 100 years before the Trustees of the Godinton House Preservation Trust purchased them again in 1996.

History & People: Pike and Musket Drill Frieze

An original feature of the Great Chamber is the carved frieze around the room depicting a series of movements of musketry pike and drill. Each figure represents a movement in the drill and those performed by the pikemen are still used today by the Honourable Artillery Company on ceremonial occasions.

History & People: Toke Coat of Arms History & People: Stained Glass, The Kneeling Knight History & People: Heraldic Stained Glass History & People: Last Day In The Old Home History & People: Sir Nicholas Toke History & People: Lillie Bruce Ward History & People: Godinton Gardeners History & People: Katherine Toke

Katherine Toke’s portrait hangs in the entrance hall and is the first family member you meet in as you enter the house. Katherine was the second wife of Sir Nicholas Toke, who succeeded his uncle, the redoubtable Captain Nicholas, in 1680. Katherine bore 11 children between 1669 and 1683!

History & People: Motor Machine Gun Batalion July 1942

Collection

Collection: Sevres Porcelain Collection: Louis XV Ormolu and painted wood bracket clock (Michau) Collection: Alan's Uniform Collection: Chinese Porcelain

A Canton punch bowl and famille verte box and cover, Kangxi on a William and Mary oysterwood and floral, marquetry cabinet

Collection: Flemish Carvings Collection: The Great Hall

For two hundred years it was the custom of the Toke family to hang a great baroque key over the main entrance of the house as a symbol of welcome. A replica still hangs here today as a sign of good cheer and welcome to a new generation of visitors.

Collection: Chinese Lacquer Vase Collection: Musical Instruments

A George III mahogany square piano by Longman and Broderip

Collection: Bellarmine Jar Collection: Persian Carpets

Godinton House dates back to the 14th century, when the Great Hall was first constructed. The house was then constructed around this central room over the subsequent centuries: the greatest part of it is Jacobean, but the most recent alterations were in the earliest 20th century. For the most part of its history, Godinton was the seat of the Toke Family, Kentish gentry, who oversaw the majority of its construction according to their tastes. Eventually Godinton was sold to the Ashley Dodds, who employed the architect Reginald Blomfield to alter and update the house and gardens. In 1917, Godinton was sold to Lillie Bruce Ward, whose family lived here until the last owner’s death in 1996.

Standing in its tranquil parkland setting, it has seen the rise and fall of a score of monarchs, uprisings, rebellions, Civil War and the threat of invasion. Like the great oaks in the park, it has been buffeted by the occasional onslaughts of change, but has remained relatively unsullied by time. It has been fortunate, and unusual among its neighbours, in having only two major changes in ownership in six hundred years. It has been doubly fortunate in that its owners improved their inheritance without sweeping away what had gone before, ensuring that such a rich heritage continues.