WICttHAM 

 ) . . COURT, 



I KENT. 



THE SEAT . . . 

 or ... 



SIR HENRY LENNARD. Dart. 



T 



HE county of Kent is richer than most shires in ecclesi- 

 astical and domestic architecture. It is famous also 

 for many other things for luxuriant woods and 

 pastures, and beautiful hop gardens which emulate 

 the vineyards of France, while, as one writer has 

 t houses challenge comparison with the historic 

 ie Loire. Some portions of the county, like that 



THE TERRACE STAIRWAY. 



in which Sir Henry l.enn.trd's house stands, w hile pttseulng 



all the charms o( hill and ">d s.cnri within 



reach of the met: >^>l -.. I lirou^h theiounty ran thegre.it 

 whkh was the a \enue <>f commmic.iti n with the Continent, 

 and important men in eveiy century c.ime and went that w 

 The history o| Kent is theti-tore in a in inner the histn: 

 the Country at lar ; ;e. The Itomans lu\e lelt t"eir tr 



at Kichborough, Keculver, 

 Dover, Lympne. and many other 

 places. Tin- rnvil pal.ue .it 

 tltham. the stately hou-e (.t 

 ' 'Mum. the tanious in.insi.nis 

 of IVnshurst and knole. the old 

 minor house ot Ighlham. the 

 historic walls \ II >ver and Leeds, 

 the quaint dwelling of (iro.mi- 

 bridge, and many other like 

 places, distinguish it -le.itlv 



West Wic.kli.im is known \ 

 I rij .tu-rs .is l\ in^ in the vicmitv 

 of the commons of Hayes and 

 ki-*t"ii. and tlu '..ined Country 

 thereabout. It will ever be r. - 

 mernbered that t!.is was .1 region 

 beloved by the t.nn nis Pitt, who 

 lived at HolWUOd H 'U-e. two 

 miles south o| HIM--. "When 



a I I Lord Bathurst to the 



piK-t Rogers, " Pitt used t" 

 a-l'irdnesting in the wi>..J> ( 

 HnlwiMid, and it was alwavs. he 

 t >ld me, hi* wish to call it his 

 own." In Holwo.kJ Park, just 

 on the descent into the vale of 

 kfton, at the ! 't of an old oak 

 , Pitt and Wilberforce dis- 

 cussed and Si-ttlcd the Slavery 

 Ab.htion Bi.l in 1788, and there 

 Wiltvti i-d I-. -i\e notice 



of it in the House of Commons. 

 J Imson. in his life of (iilbert 

 West the translator of Pindar, 

 aimtner celebrity f this district, 



.s that there was at Wickham 

 a walk made by Pitt, and "what 

 is oi far more importance, at 

 Wickham Lvtu-lton received that 



iviction which produced his 

 I ^sfitation on the Conversion 

 and Apostleship of St. Paul.'" 



Helton and Pitt, the great 

 le\i.o_-raplvr tells us, were ac- 

 ,1 to visit West at Wick- 

 ham. wiien they were weary of 

 factions and debates, and to 

 find there books and quiet, a 

 decent table, and literary con- 

 versation. 



