Kentwell Hall — Live Like A Tudor - Beyond Downton Abbey: A Guide to 25 Great Houses - page 27

Who built it…who owns it
Kentwell is an ancient property — so ancient that it's listed in the Domesday Book of
1086. Successive generations of the Clopton family occupied Kentwell Hall for more than
300 years beginning in 1385. During the 17 th century Kentwell was owned by Henry
VIII's underling Sir Thomas Darcy and later by Thomas Robinson before passing to
Richard Moore. Several generations of the Moore family lived at Kentwell for 120 years.
In 1823, Robert Hart Logan purchased the property. Following Logan's death in 1839, the
property was sold to the Starkie Bence family, who continued to own the estate for more
than a century. During World War II the property was requisitioned by the military and
used as a transit camp for the D-day landing.
In 1971, the Starkie Bence family sold Kentwell to its current owner, Patrick Phillips. The
Phillips family has been continuously restoring Kentwell Hall since its acquisition and
today's Kentwell is a 16 th century house substantially recreated in the late 20 th century.
Style notes
Tudor