Yahoo News The spectacular former Kent school and an ambitious plan to restore it back to a family home
A spectacular former mansion in Kent which at one time was a school, could be returned to its former glory but currently has issues that mean it is on the heritage 'at risk' register.
It would be hard to find a more stunning private property in Kent and it looks a quintessentially English and grandiose setting perfect for a blockbusting Gosford Park style film.
And a look at the floor plans shows names of rooms ripe for a period drama, with the Regency ballroom, the Tudor room, Tudor passage, and the Patriarch's cabinet to name a few.
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Outside there are lakes including Lady's Lake with a waterfall and Lady's Well which is described as 'Chalybeate', the same spring water which made Tunbridge Wells famous and a spa town.
If you arrive, you follow a long, undulating drive - an avenue planted with lime trees - and as it ascends, you will get your breathtaking first glimpse of Bedgebury Park as it comes into view.
Fascinating details about the place can be found in the Kent Compendium of Historic Parks and Gardens for Tunbridge Wells Borough, written in 2008.
And an interesting detail in the successful application, is that once the house is finally restored, it will be lived in by various members of the family and their relatives, although the name of applicant is not revealed.
An insight into how this would work is given by the floor plans, which show separate suites of accommodation with their own kitchens and bathrooms, living space, with some for guests - and more family who may visit.
The building saw a lot of alterations and extensions in the mid 1800s, creating the Grade II* listed building it is today. It had most recently been Bell Bedgebury International School, owned by the Bell Educational Trust, which closed in 2011.
On the market for £7.5million
Delving further back into its history, in 1920 the mansion and 200 acres was bought by the Church Education Corporation to be a girls' boarding school.
Later, Bedgebury School operated until 2006, with perhaps its most famous former pupil being entrepreneur and fashion guru Trinny Woodall, before it was sold to the educational trust.
It has marble floors, maple wood panelling, stunning fireplaces and decorative ceilings. There are also issues with water and dry rot, but more on that later. There are also sweeping terraces, once formal gardens, a swimming pool and tennis courts. It went on the market in May 2011 with Knight Frank for £7.5million and the current owner took over in 2012.
A photograph taken five years ago, shows the front of the building and roof with scaffolding. The application states only minor alterations would be made to remove the school's 'institutional additions' with no alterations affecting the outside appearance of the building.
The application for listed building consent was made 10 years ago and the following year, a change of use application from school to a single residence, with the conversion of the chapel into another single home. The property is in an area of outstanding natural beauty and close to Combwell Woods, a site of scientific special interest.
English Heritage, which sent a team to visit the site in the summer of 2013 once the application was made, described it as an "impressive and substantial classical mansion with a historic core of 1688".
It said the building had been much altered and extended in the mid 1800s, making the Grade II* listed building.
'At risk register'
English Heritage said it was "delighted that the house is returning to domestic use as a single dwelling".
Historic England shared interesting information with KentLive about why the building had been put on its "at risk" register.
It told us: "Bedgebury Park is a large country house dating from the 17th Century and is Listed Grade II*. The current owner took over the building in 2012, following the closure of the school that had previously occupied it. The owner applied to the local authority to convert it to a single residence, but this has not been fully implemented."
"There are a number of defects within the property which has caused dry rot and water damage, and this has meant that the building has been put on the Heritage at Risk Register. Historic England has been supporting the local authority in their actions and has offered advice to the owner."
