Situated to the west of Rochester, the pretty village of Cobham is well known to all readers of "Pickwick Papers" because of the Leather Bottle Inn, to which Tracy Tupman fled. The main attraction of Cobham is the enormous church of St Mary Magdalene with 18 brass memorial slabs dating from the 14th-16th century. The slabs feature pictures of knights, ladies and priests showing visitors a good deal about the dress and weapons of those times. Cobham College was founded in 1382 by Sir John de Cobham and was turned into an old people's home in 1598.
Cobham Hall (built between 1580 and 1670), today a girls' school, is a magnificent late Elizabethan red-brick manor house, with four towers, the typical high chimneys of that period and a gold stucco ceiling (1672) in the Gilt Hall (music room). It is surrounded by a fine park, which is famous for its large rhododendrons.
Address: Cobham Hall, Cobham DA12 3BL, England
Hours:
April 1 to April 30: 2pm-5pm; Closed: Mon, Tue, Fri, Sat
July 1 to August 31: 2pm-5pm; Closed: Mon, Tue, Fri, Sat, Mon, Tue, Fri, Sat
Painshill Landscape Garden is an 18th C garden featuring a 14-acre lake fed by a water wheel. There is also a Gothic temple, abbey ruins, a Chinese bridge, a castellated tower and a mausoleum. The grounds have a wide variety of shrubs and flowering plants.
Address: Painshill Park, Portsmouth Road, Cobham KT11 1JE, England
Hours:
March 1 to October 31: 10:30am-6pm; Closed: Mon
November 1 to February 28: 11am-4pm; Closed: Mon, Mon, Tue
Always closed on: Day after Christmas, St Stephen's Day, Boxing Day (December 26), Christmas - Christian (December 25)
Tips: Last admission one hour before closing. Family admission (2 adults, 2 children).
Parking: Free
Disability Access: Partial facilities for persons with disabilities.
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