Larkfield Priory Hotel, Maidstone, Kent

Larkfield Priory Hotel is a pretty hotel in the heart of Kent. It’s renowned for its mix of French and European cuisine, but also for its resident ghost, Charlotte.

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Larkfield Priory Hotel (formerly known as Hamlets Hotel)stands on the grounds of a former priory, so it’s no surprise that it is haunted. The story goes that it’s haunted by the ghost of a local maid named Charlotte, who is often seen in the grounds of the hotel. She was a servant who fell in love with the groundskeeper of the hotel who either killed herself after she lost their baby, or died following a botched abortion – no one is quite sure. Charlotte apparently caused such disturbance in the 1980s that the manager of the hotel called a clairvoyant, who discovered that Charlotte was one of many ghosts resident at the hotel. It was also discovered that there used to be a gallows at the site of the hotel, which could explain some of the spooky goings-on.

A manor house has been located on the site of Larkfield Priory since the 18th century on what was known as Larkfield farm, although there was reportedly a priory and a gallows on the site before that. In the 19th century it was home to the Reverend William Lewis Wigan and his family. In 1876 he passed away and his family continued to live at the residence, and in 1890, a fire gutted the hotel and it had to be rebuilt.

Larkfield Priory Hotel is a 3* hotel located in the heart of Kent. It has 52 rooms, compromising of a mixture of single rooms, twin rooms, double rooms and interconnecting rooms for families. All rooms are en-suite and are individually decorated in an elegant, comfortable style, many with antique or antique-style furniture. Complementary toiletries are available in every room, along with an LCD television with Freeview and a hair dryer.

There are tons of dining facilities at the hotel – firstly, there is a full room service menu available, 24 hours a day, with a day menu from 10am-9.30pm, a night menu from 9.30pm-6.30am and a breakfast menu from 6.30am-9am. There’s also a restaurant on site, which was recently modernised, which offers a range of dining options throughout the day and a delicious mix of French and European cuisine. Food on offer includes a goat’s cheese and sun blanched tomato tart, pork steak with prunes, apricots and a creamy mustard sauce and sticky toffee pudding.

Banqueting services are also available at the hotel and they can cater from 2-100 guests in a number of private dining rooms. Larkfield Priory Hotel is also fully licensed for weddings and can cater right up to 200 guests, giving you plenty of options for your special day. Meetings and conferences are also catered for at the hotel, with plenty of meeting rooms available. Hamlets Hotel is also ideally located – you can reach central London in just an hour by car, and the nearby train stations offer easy access to the London Underground.

52 rooms
En-suite rooms
Tea and coffee making facilities
Complementary toiletries
LCD TV with Freeview
Hair dryer
Trouser press
Free Wi-Fi in public areas
Room service
Opening windows
Wake up calls
Ideally located
Wedding license
Space for meetings and conferences

Larkfield Priory Hotel is ideally located just 5 miles from Maidstone in the heart of Kent. For a relaxing stay, try exploring the grounds of the hotel on foot – they are incredibly beautiful and well worth an explore. The hotel is also close to London and all of the attractions it has to offer, as well as Kent and all of its shops, museums and places of interest.

Single room, breakfast included, available from £45 per night.
Twin room, breakfast included, available from £62 per night, based on two adults sharing.
Twin room, breakfast included, single person occupancy, available from £57 per night.
Double room, breakfast included, available from £62 per night, based on two adults sharing.
Double room, breakfast included, single person occupancy, available from £57 per night.
Family room, breakfast included, based on two adults and two children sharing, available from £110 per night.