Lifestyle Flat Living
at h o me w i t h l e a S e h o l d
Escape to the
country Audley Retirement Villages has just opened the doors of its latest development in Kent. FLAT LIVING takes a look inside
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IN APRIL, Audley Retirement
Villages opened the doors of the main house at its new Mote House development near Bearsted, Maidstone for the first time since it was built in 1797. Situated in the heart of Mote Park, the historic Grade II* listed Georgian house, which has been sympathetically restored, will house 14 luxury apartments and the Audley Club. The club’s facilities will include a bar and bistro, restaurant, gym, swimming pool and library. People from the local community aged 55 and over will be invited to join as well as residents. The apartments at Audley Mote House are available to view by appointment. The show apartment, which boasts a number of original period features, was created by interior designer Carol Gearing. Having been in development for five years, the renovation of Mote House is due for completion this summer. The Mote House Village will ultimately consist of 100 houses, cottages and apartments, which are available to purchase by anyone over the age of 55. There is currently a mixture of properties for sale including 12 remaining apartments available in the main house. The renovation, which includes the design of the surrounding grounds, has been undertaken in accordance with strict
the show apartment was designed by interior designer carol gearing guidelines to ensure that the house retains its original character. Original features of the house and the estate include: n The clock tower from the original medieval fifteenth-century mansion
Fascinating Facts The house was designed by Daniel Asher Alexander. He also designed Maidstone and Dartmoor prisons, although his first commission was to widen the Medway Bridge in Rochester In 1531, Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn visited Mote Park before their marriage. In 1799, King George III and Prime Minister William Pitt visited the property to inspect around 3,000 assembled troops of the Kent
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Maidstone from its original Volunteers, a local militia home in London following trained to defend the country the First World War. from a possible invasion by In 1941, Mote House Napoleon 1 of France. was commandeered by Between 1932 and the British Armed Forces 1941, Mote House as a headquarters (known then as “The and training facility Mote”) was home during the Second to the Caldecott World War. It was Community (now subsequently the Caldecott used as offices Foundation), for the Ministry a nursery of Agriculture, organisation that had relocated to Daniel Asher Fisheries and Food. Alexander
n Original stables n The Old Brew House n Georgian water pump n Ice houses n Original staircase in the main house n Georgian steps within the grounds
overlooking the Len Valley. Much of the renovation work has been undertaken by employees from Kent. Once the main house has opened, Audley will continue to recruit locally, particularly for guest services including restaurant staff, bar staff, health & fitness staff. Audley has been building and managing luxury retirement villages for more than a decade. The company’s aim is to enable residents to live an independent and healthy later life in their own homes, in a like-minded community with access to flexible care packages and a wide range of leisure facilities via the on-site club. Summer 2012
Flat Living
