Bradbourne House

Bradbourne House is where the East Malling Trust is based. It is a Queen Anne Grade 1 listed house surrounded by around 20 acres of parkland with a large lake and stream. The House and park is closed to the public, but can be visited as part of a tour.

Thomas Twisden 1st Baronet of Bradbourne 1602-1682

Bradbourne House had been the family home of the Twisden family since the early 18th century and was put up for sale when John Ramskill Twisden died without an heir.

The house as it is seen today was built between 1712 and 1715 although there was a Tudor house on the site built in the early 1600s which has been considerably changed and altered over the years. Bradbourne House remained in the ownership of one family, the Twisdens, for around 400 years before being purchased by what is now The East Malling Trust in 1938. The East Malling Trust has produced an online booklet which can be viewed here (pdf format).

A second booklet in hard copy only charts the lives of the Twisdens and their portraits which remain in the house by kind permission of the Kent Archaeological Society. Copies of the publication can be purchased from the Trust and cost £2 each, to cover UK postage costs. Please contact us.

Externally, the park and grounds are part of a conservation area and the Trust manages the day-to-day care and landscaping of this area. Since 2007, more than 1700 new native trees have been planted as part of on-going improvements to the park. A new woodland planting has been developed, including cherry, oak, ash, walnut and sycamore trees from selected sites around the country. The new woodland complements the more mature trees in the park. There are some fine ancient trees and a wide variety of species including yew, beech, holly, oak, ash, willow, London plane, maple and box.
To hire Bradbourne House for weddings, conferences and business meetings or corporate entertainment, please visit our sister site www.bradbournehousekent.co.uk

Tours of Bradbourne House can be provided for groups of 15 or more people with a local historian. Please contact: tours@emsc.org.uk for more information.