St John's Jerusalem or Sutton-at-Hone Preceptory is a National Trust property at Sutton-at-Hone, Kent, England which includes the 13th century chapel of the Knights Hospitaller and a garden moated by the River Darent. The chapel and garden are open to the public.
Naturalist Abraham Hill established an orchard here in 1670, with apples and pears from Herefordshire and Devon that were used for making cider and perry. Varieties that were introduced into Kent as a result included the Kentish Pippin.[2] From 1755 it was the home of the county historian of Kent, Edward Hasted.[3] His excessive expenditure on the property may have been responsible for his bankruptcy in 1796, and subsequent term of imprisonment of five years.[4]
The moat dates from the 13th century,[3] and surrounds an artificial island of 22,200m2. The moat is bridged three times, including by a Grade II listed 19th century brick footbridge. The grounds contain a cedar of Lebanon.[3] Only the south-western section of the moat is part of the River Darent.[1] The moat has, however, suffered from environmental problems. It ran dry in both 1976 and 1988 and was affected by sedimentation and pollution after a recent dredging of the Darent.[3] The dredging was attempted in order to foster the appearance of a 1930s Country Life setting. However, it had to be halted after it was discovered that scheduled monument consent had not been obtained. Although it was subsequently granted, the sustainability of such techniques has been called into question.[11]
^E. Hasted, "Parishes: Sutton-at-Hone", The History and Topographical Survey of the County of Kent: Volume 2 (1797), pp. 343–367. (Accessed: 22 May 2011).
