Lower Standen Farm

Benenden, Nr Tenterden

9

6

24

3

Set within acres of private grounds in the Kent countryside, this 17th-century farmhouse and its neighbouring properties – The Granary and The Dairy – sleep up to 24 guests between them. Throughout, original beams and centuries-old features sit alongside furniture, artwork and curiosities gathered over years of travel, giving every room its own personality. Elegant without ever feeling pretentious, Lower Standen Farm is all the more interesting because of it.

The main farmhouse is where everyone naturally gravitates. Here, the kitchen table has a habit of filling up long before breakfast is ready, while the sitting rooms are made for slow conversations, board games and evenings that drift on longer than anyone planned. There are quiet corners throughout the estate too, whether that's a window seat that's best paired with a book, or somewhere to escape with a coffee before the rest of the house is awake.

The bedrooms are spread across all three buildings, with five in the farmhouse, three in The Granary and a spacious suite in The Dairy. No two rooms are quite the same – some are ideal for families, others feel more tucked away, and one even hides its bathroom behind a secret door – something guests tend to rejoice in discovering.

Outside, there's every excuse to stay put. The heated swimming pool is tucked away within the gardens, while the lawns are big enough for games, long lunches or simply finding a sunny spot with a glass of wine. Children can disappear off to the swings or to play table tennis, while everyone else claims a seat by the fire pit as evening arrives. Wherever you wander, you're never far from another view across the surrounding fields or towards the old windmill on the horizon.

If you do decide to venture out, Cranbrook and Tenterden are both close by, along with some of Kent's best vineyards, excellent places to eat and the wide sandy beach at Camber. It's an easy part of the county to explore, although Lower Standen has a habit of drawing people back long before they expected.

Whether you're bringing the whole family together, celebrating something special or hosting a retreat, this is the sort of house people remember – not because it's grand, but because it has a character all of its own.