Goodnestone Park, Canterbury
Kent in Historic Houses UK

Goodnestone Park was built in 1704 by Brook Bridges who had recently purchased the estate. The date of the house is scratched onto a brick on the main front.

During the early 18th century the house was surrounded by extensive formal gardens recorded in a view by William Harris. These disappeared later in the 18th century when Sir Brook Bridges, the 3rd baronet and great-grandson of the builder, replaced the gardens with a landscape park in the fashion of the time

Formal terraced gardens, with recently planted ‘Millennium’ parterre, surround the house which Jane Austen frequently visited, and overlook 18th century parkland. In 2014 the 18th-century Serpentine Walk was reinstated, following the route familiar to Jane Austen on her visits to her brother who lived at Goodnestone.

Three walled gardens with mixed borders redesigned since 1960 give long vistas. The site also features an arboretum with a lime avenue and mature woodland.