KENTSTAYCATION
Full of Character cont ...
BUSHES OAST CANTERBURY CATHEDRAL LODGE
EBENEZER ’ S PLACE
Hotel & Pub in Deal , a special 18th-century Georgian hotel with exceptional food , spectacular views and the seaside quite literally on its doorstep . With charming period features and all the best of contemporary comforts , guests can book the Wellington or Nelson room for their elegant roll-top baths offering beautiful views of the shoreline that inspired one of England ’ s most notable writers .
Connected to Edith Nesbit ( 1858 - 1924 ) Bushes Oast , Sevenoaks Weald bloomstays . com
An influential writer of children ’ s literature and socialist fiction , Edith Nesbit spent her formative years in the village of Halstead , Sevenoaks . Writing poetry close to home , Nesbit took inspiration from her childhood to write her most popular children ’ s stories , The Wouldbegoods ( 1901 ) and The Phoenix and the Carpet ( 1904 ). When Nesbit was 17 , she and her family moved to Lewisham in South East London , though she returned to Halstead yearly for woodland walks in the countryside .
A holiday home not far from Nesbit ’ s , Bushes Oast is a sanctuary for those looking to enjoy the beauty of Kent ’ s countryside . Newly renovated and ideal for couples and small families looking to spend a literary holiday in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty , Bushes Oast features a spacious sitting room with patio doors leading out onto the terrace and a picturesque garden beyond . With a cosy interior and woodburning stove , as well as a desk and card table , guests can take the opportunity to try their hands at their very own , Kentish-inspired children ’ s story in the heart of Sevenoaks .
Connected to Charles Dickens ( 1812 - 1870 ) Ebenezer ’ s Place , Broadstairs ebenezersplace . co . uk
Wherever you go in the county , you can be pretty certain that Charles Dickens has walked that path before as the Portsmouthborn novelist , social critic , short story writer and journalist moved with his family at the age of four to Chatham in Kent . While his father worked in the Naval Pay Office at Chatham Dockyard , the local landscape was one of Dickens ’ many muses that inspired his writing , featuring spots such as Cooling ’ s St . James ’ Churchyard , The Leather Bottle pub in Gravesend and Rochester ’ s Guildhall . In 1851 , while staying in Fort House , Broadstairs , Dickens described the fascinating storms of the Goodwin Sands : ‘ a steamer laden with cattle going from Rotterdam to the London market , was wrecked on the Goodwin ’, and knowing that the last chapters of his novel , David Copperfield ( 1850 ), had been written there the year before , it ’ s no wonder that the stormy coastal weather was a source of inspiration for his work .
In a long-standing effort to engage the most revered of Dickens ’ readers , Rochester houses a permanent exhibition within The Guildhall Museum : The Making of Mr Dickens . A great spot to visit on a story-based excursion , visitors will be sure to leave the museum with a deeper insight into the life and writings of one of Kent ’ s most prolific authors . For those looking to enjoy an overnight adventure , Ebenezer ’ s Place in Broadstairs is a bed and breakfast just steps away from the promenade with a stylish bar , cafe and collection of luxurious rooms just a stone ’ s throw from the shoreline .
Connected to Aphra Behn ( 1640 - 1689 ) Canterbury Cathedral Lodge , Canterbury canterburycathedrallodge . org
The birthplace of Aphra Behn , the first professional female writer in the English language , Canterbury is a city steeped in literary history and Kent ’ s rightful hotspot for those looking to explore a world of cobbled streets , medieval architecture and atmospheric places for both reading and writing . A key text that helped inspire the abolitionist movement , Behn published her first novel , Oroonoko , in 1688 , and bookish enthusiasts can learn more about it at The Beaney House of Art and Knowledge on Canterbury ’ s high street .
Right in the very heart of this iconic city , within the stunning cathedral grounds no less , visitors can stay overnight at the Cathedral Lodge , where picture windows frame the UNESCO World Heritage Site right in the heart of Kent ’ s most historic city . Offering stylish accommodation and dining experiences alongside those stunning views , it makes the perfect pitstop for modern day pilgrims , all in walking distance from the very streets that Aphra Behn herself would have visited .
52 • www . insidekent . co . uk