Broome Park


Broome Park is a country house in Barham, within the City of Canterbury, Kent, England. It was built for Sir Basil Dixwell between 1635 and 1638. In the early 20th century it was the country home of Lord Kitchener of Khartoum until his death at sea in 1916. Now a country club, Broome Park is a Grade I listed building.

History

The house was built between 1635 and 1638. Commissioned for Sir Basil Dixwell, 1st Baronet, who had been Member of Parliament for Hythe, it passed down through various generations of Dixwell baronets until it was inherited by Sir George Oxenden, 5th Baronet, who took on his mother's surname of Dixwell. It then passed down through various generations of Oxenden baronets to Sir Percy Dixwell Nowell Dixwell-Oxenden, 10th Baronet.
In 1911 the estate was bought by Herbert Kitchener, 1st Earl Kitchener. Kitchener commissioned Detmar Blow and Fernand Billerey to carry out a major remodelling and to create the formal gardens and a formal carriage approach. Contractors involved included George P. Bankart, W. Bainbridge Reynolds, Cowtan & Sons, Shanks and Maples of London. Because of the extensive work being carried out on the property and Kitchener's professional commitments as Sirdar in Egypt and subsequently Secretary of War in London, he only lived in Broome Park for brief periods: notably for six weeks while on home leave immediately prior to the outbreak of the First World War. Full-time occupancy of the house was intended for his retirement. However between 1914 and 1916 Kitchener spent his limited spare time in what his aide-de-camp described as "the one relaxation which Lord Kitchener allows himself - the building of his house. It gives him such intense pleasure every Saturday when he comes down and sees the good work that has been done".
In the early 1930s the estate was bought by Mr G C Jell who transformed the house into a country house hotel. During the Second World War the estate was requisitioned by the Ministry of Defence. In or before 1979 the Park was acquired by Gulf Shipping, for the purposes of developing a timeshare and leisure complex. The development was the subject of litigation, which went all the way to the UK Supreme Court in 2018. Today Broome Park is a timeshare hotel and club house for a golf course.