History & Story
The Restoration Story - Listening to What the Building Revealed
Beginning in August 2019, before the Covid pandemic, the restoration uncovered a building far more complex than it first appeared. Behind later coverings, Saban and Belinda revealed medieval walling, earlier openings, coloured lime plaster, oyster shells, glass, timber details, the medieval well, garderobe evidence, and signs of centuries of alteration.
The work was not about returning the house to one single period. Instead, it was about listening to what the building revealed: deciding what to uncover, what to protect, and how to tell a layered story honestly. Each discovery helped connect the present house with its medieval origins, Georgian expansion, judges' lodgings, and later uses.
Today, the Restoration Story stands as a tribute to stewardship. It celebrates the patience, skill, and curiosity needed to save Stone Court House, while ensuring that visitors can see the evidence of change rather than only a polished surface.
Since opening in June 2022, the restoration has also been recognised through guest experience, travel awards, and national exposure. Stone Court House has received the TripAdvisor Travellers' Choice Award three years running, from 2024 to 2026, placing it among the top 10% of hotels worldwide on TripAdvisor. It has also been rated the #1 hotel in Maidstone across TripAdvisor, Booking.com, Hotels.com, Expedia, and Airbnb, with strong guest scores including 9.4 on Hotels.com, 9.4 on Expedia, and 9.2 on Booking.com. With more than 1,000 five-star or positive reviews, a feature on Channel 4's Four in a Bed, and guest descriptions such as “one of the most beautiful hotels” and “Bridgerton in Maidstone,” the response to Stone Court House shows how restoration, hospitality, and personal stewardship can bring a historic building back to life.
THE RESTORATION
Before & After - Five Years of Patient Work
From bare brick and stripped plaster in August 2019 to opening the doors in June 2022, every decision balanced what to uncover against what to protect.
A building site in 2019, and the finished house that opened its doors in June 2022.
Original fabric kept, repaired, and left visible rather than covered over.
Historical Significance
A tribute to stewardship, where the aim was never a single restored period but an honest, layered story that lets visitors see the evidence of seven centuries of change.
Did You Know?
The restoration began in August 2019 and revealed a building with far more layers than first expected.
Discoveries included medieval walling, coloured lime plaster, oyster shells, glass, timber details, the well, and garderobe evidence.
The work showed Stone Court House as medieval, Georgian, judicial, domestic, and modern all at once.
Good conservation protects evidence of change rather than making a building appear newly made.
Stone Court House has received the TripAdvisor Travellers' Choice Award three years running, from 2024 to 2026.
TripAdvisor places Stone Court House among the top 10% of hotels worldwide.
It has been rated the #1 hotel in Maidstone across TripAdvisor, Booking.com, Hotels.com, Expedia, and Airbnb.
Guest scores include 9.4 on Hotels.com, 9.4 on Expedia, and 9.2 on Booking.com.
Stone Court House has received more than 1,000 five-star or positive reviews.
The house has been featured on Channel 4's Four in a Bed.
Guests have described it as “one of the most beautiful hotels” and “Bridgerton in Maidstone.”
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