HOTEL IN MAIDSTONE
THE HOUSE & HISTORY
Built in the 1830s, Little Dane (Thurnham Old Rectory) has had three
main periods in it’s history. Firstly as a Rectory, providing a home to
the rectors of St. Mary the Virgin, secondly as a billet for RAF officers serving from Detling Airfield during the Second
World War and, thirdly, as it is today, a spacious family home. For fifty years from
1946 Little Dane was the home of the White family who loved the house as much as we do and still live nearby.
We took over in 1996. Over the past eight years our lavish programme of refurbishment
and renovation has brought the house into the 21st century. The rooms
are large and airy furnished with an interesting and eclectic range of antiques. Persian
rugs soften the wooden floors. All the original Georgian features including deep
sash windows with shutters, high ceilings and ornate fireplaces remain and are a joy.
We believe Little Dane
has always been a ‘busy’ house. At one time at least four maids were
lodged in the attic to cater for the family needs of the Rector and to help maintain a social calendar , as befitted his status
in the local community. Above can be seen the Rev. Stephen Wigan in 1904 surrounded
by fashionable ladies for ‘croquet on the lawn’.
With the onset of the
Second World War RAF Officers made the main house their home. A large underground
air-raid shelter remains in the garden and certain ‘interesting’ paintings can still be seen in one room, reminding
us of its former life as the Officers’ BAR - no doubt the most popular room in the house!
THE GARDEN AND CHURCHYARD
You are most welcome to explore our garden.
We have somewhere over 2 acres which friends describe as rambling and romantic . The garden is a labour of love and
I am aided heroically by two wonderful gentlemen. Some vegetables and soft fruits
are grown organically. Handsome mature yews, holm oaks, hollies and an impressive
Tree of Heaven give overall structure and visitors find several smaller areas
perfect for quiet relaxation.
Our garden gate leads directly into the churchyard of St.Mary’s. A more sublime spot would be hard to find. St. Mary’s
is mentioned in the records of the Crusades and there is a Yew Tree near the church gate aged by experts at 1,500 years old. Tradition has it that English longbows were cut from yew. Little Dane also has a magnificent specimen which is several centuries old.
The history of St. Mary’s
spans over 1,000 years and there was a church on the site before the Norman conquest of 1066.
Alfred Mynn, the eminent Victorian cricketer is laid to rest under a yew tree. His impressive headstone is well worth
looking for.
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