Goldenhurst Farm
| Goldenhurst Farm | |
|---|---|
 The Old House, part of the now-subdivided Goldenhurst Farm | |
  Location in Kent, England | |
| Alternative names | Goldenhurst Manor / The Old House, Goldenhurst |
| General information | |
| Type | Country house |
| Town or city | Aldington |
| Country | Kent |
| Coordinates | 51°04′30″N 0°57′06″E / 51.0751°N 0.9517°E |
| Owner | Noël Coward (1926–56) Julian Clary (2006-18) |
| Designations | Grade II listed |
Goldenhurst Farm (now Goldenhurst Manor and The Old House, Goldenhurst) [1] is a country house of 17th-century origins[1] in the village of Aldington, Kent, England. From 1926 to 1956, it was the country home of Noël Coward.[2] It is a Grade II listed building.[2]
Coward 1926–56[edit]
Coward found the property after placing an advert in the Kentish Times and receiving only one reply.[3] Initially renting the farm from a Mr Body, Coward bought it in 1927. In extensive rebuilding and renovation in 1927–9,[3] he linked together "the farmhouse, the square edifice, one of the barns and an adjoining cottage" to create a substantial country house.[4]
He wrote Cavalcade at Goldenhurst in 1931.[1] During the Second World War the house was requisitioned by the Army and Coward moved temporarily to White Cliffs, a house he rented at St Margaret's Bay. He finally returned to Goldenhurst in December 1951, recording in his diary; "We arrived at 1.55 - the house and land seemed to envelop me in a warm and lovely welcome. We spent the day hanging more pictures etc. Utterly exhausted but deeply and profoundly happy. I am home again."[5] But the post-war tax regime made the expense of running the large house increasingly burdensome and in 1956 Coward sold the farm[6] and his London home on Gerald Road.[7] In a letter to Laurence Olivier the following year, he explained; "Goldenhurst (five gardeners all year round, lighting, heat etc.) was costing a fortune."[8] He moved abroad as a tax-avoidance measure, dividing his time between Chalet Covar, at Les Avants in Switzerland and, firstly Bermuda, and then Firefly, his home in Jamaica.[a][10] Coward died at Firefly in 1973, and was buried there.[11]
Description[edit]
The house is timber-framed, of brick and Kentish ragstone, with a tiled roof and is now sub-divided into two separate properties.[1]
Between 2006 and 2018, part of the house was home to the comedian and novelist Julian Clary.[12] The gardens of Goldenhurst were featured in the 2017 book The Secret Gardeners by Victoria Summerley and photographer Hugo Rittson Thomas.[13]
Notes[edit]
- ^ A piano Coward bought for Goldenhurst in 1926, and which was removed to Graham Payn’s London home in 1956, sold at Christie’s in December 2000.[9]
References[edit]
- ^ a b c d Historic England. "Goldenhurst Farm (Grade II) (1071221)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 3 April 2023.
- ^ a b British Listed Buildings Online (27 November 1957). "Goldenhurst Manor - Aldington - Kent - England". British Listed Buildings. Retrieved 24 August 2016.
- ^ a b Clark, Ross (24 November 2004). "Mad about the house". Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 25 July 2021.
- ^ Tinniswood 2016, p. 262.
- ^ Coward 1982, p. 182.
- ^ Coward 1982, p. 305.
- ^ Coward 1982, p. 311.
- ^ Coward 2007, p. 617.
- ^ "Goldenhurst Farm". Christie’s. 12 December 2000.
- ^ Gray, Christopher (21 March 2012). "Noel Coward was early victim of tax anger". Oxford Mail.
- ^ Hillinger, Charles (1 January 1992). "The Magical Kingdom of Firefly Hill : Arts: Celebrities came to Noel Coward's winter retreat for the Jamaican sunsets and for their host's wit and wisdom". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 27 January 2024.
- ^ Doughty, Eleanor (26 March 2016). "Julian Clary: What it's like to live with Noel Coward's garden". Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 24 August 2016.
- ^ Summerley & Rittson Thomas 2017, p. 52.
References[edit]
- Coward, Noël (1982). Graham Payn; Sheridan Morley (eds.). The Noël Coward Diaries. London: Weidenfeld and Nicolson. ISBN 0-297-78142-1.
- Coward, Noël (2007). Barry Day (ed.). The Letters of Noël Coward. London: Methuen Drama. ISBN 978-0-7136-8578-7.
- Tinniswood, Adrian (2016). The Long Weekend: Life in the English Country House between the Wars. London: Random House. ISBN 978-1-4481-9124-6.
- Summerley, Victoria; Rittson Thomas, Hugo (2017). The Secret Gardeners. London: Francis Lincoln. ISBN 9-78071-123763-6.