Landmark Trust – Prospect Tower

To sum it up in one word – Wow. Pictures are going to follow, but for now, just a quick bit about the place.

I’d found out about the Landmark Trust earlier this year, and sent off for their “Handbook”, a brochure of all the properties they’ve renovated and now rent out for weekends or week-long breaks. Every property is quirky and unique, with a lot of towers and ex-follys in their portfolio, all of which have been restored and made habitable, while retaining as many of the quirks, features, and design as possible. The properties aren’t cheap, but they’re also not a run-of-the-mill standard hotel room – really I suppose it’s a case of the old adage, “You pays yer money and takes yer choice”.

Prospect Tower was a perfect case in point. Situated on the Belmont Estate in Kent, between Faversham and Ashford, it’s a small two-storey tower that used to be a folly. It was also used as a cricket changing-room, and there’s an old cricket-pitch in the field outside. A lot of the pictures inside the tower reflect the cricket heritage of the place, but it’s not a relevant factor to the atmosphere of the place.

In fact, the Tower was wonderful, and the quality of it all was absolutely superb. I’m completely impressed with the entire thing, and know it’s only the first of our many visits to Landmark Trust properties – we’re already looking through the Brochure again to work out where else we want to book in 2005.