MRP: Broome Park
Dixwell family house, Broome Park, Kent
Editorial history
15/12/11, CSG: Restructured page
THIS ENTRY REQUIRES EDITING
Images
Badeslade made an engraving of Broome Park, which was published in Harris, XXXX. Detail of lower half of map of Wingham and Kinghamford hundreds, showing Barham downs, Broome house and Maydekin house
Suggested links
See 4th April 1663, Letter from Elizabeth Oxinden to Sir GO
See 4th April 1663, Letter from Basil Dixwell to Sir GO, Broome, Kent
Building history
Henry Oxinden of Barham recorded the construction of Broome House in his commonplace book.[1]
Ap: 1635 S:r Basil Dixwell layd the foundation of the house at Broome, it was up by the middle of No: following: but although the maine house was builded, ?reared, & tiled by the time aforesaid, yet the in work as seating, bording & c. was not done till the end of the yeare 163?7 And it was Sept following in the year 1637 (sic) before the ioners had made any great progress in wainscotting the roomes, and it was S:t Mich 1638 before they & the painters had finished their work, & made the house ready for S.r Basil to come into it: who came thether about six weekes after that S:t Michael, & tarried there till S:t Mich: 1639. There were used about the house, out-houses & walling, twentie & seaven hundred thousand brickes which hee made, & besides thousands which hee bought: the sand which was brought came to 500:l & the lead used about the house to 500:l
The stable was builded Anno Dmi 1636
The garden was also walled that yeare.
The Brewhouse was builded 1637.
1634 hee diked & quicksetted the great pasture feilds beside the house viz before it, & layd them to pasture w:ch before had been arrable(sic) ground time out of the memory of man
In this yeare hee planted the Orchard in Kell Lane, viz
West ward, & diked it, & caused it to be doubly quicksetted
In this yeare allso hee caused the walkes to be cut out in Browne ward
Feb. 1638 hee caused hee casued (sic) the rowes of ashes, & other trees to be set in Kell Lane, & the green feild above his garden as allso in the little pasture feild agt (sic) his barnes
1634 hee planted all the ashes in the 2 great feilds before his house, & also 2 rowes of lime trees from his garden xx xxx his ward
The building of Brwme house & one house cost him by his own & Capt Dixwells account eight thousand pound
1639 hee planted the orchard agt his back dore agt the Hall
No: 1640 hee planted thoseashes which stand agt his house & the middle row of the trees in Kell lane
Jan. 12. 1642 S:r Basil was buried at Barham.
No: 1646 Ms Dixwell planted an hundred walnut trees above the house: principally in the ?base Court & at the right hand going up the down
1651 Col John Dixwell planted more trees in the Orchard that is diked & quicksetted, & then made the walk at the west side of the orchard
1651 . Col. Iohn Dixwell builded the ?Dovehouse.
1652 hee walled in the Kitchin garden. & in this yeare hee was one of the Counsel of State.
Sep 28 1653 . Ms. Bettie Dixwell was married to M:r Chute
Iuly 17 1654 M:s ?bennet Dixwell was married to M.r Diggs of Chilham.
May 1660 Col Dixwell left the Kingdome
House contents
The picture collection of Sir Henry Oxenden of Broome, Kent, was advertised for sale on Saturday, July 6th 1839 by Messrs. Christie & Manson at their Great Room. King-street, St. James's-square. The pictures advertised were "of the Italian, French, and Dutch Schools," and included pictures by Van Dyck. A catalogue was made available.[2]
Sources
Primary
CKS-U2691 Correspondence from Lord Kitchener concerning Broome Park, Barham (1911-1918)
Letter from Basill Dixwell to Sir George Oxenden, April 4th 1663, f. 94
Letter from Henry Oxinden of Barham to Thomas Peyton, February 6th 1643/44, MS. 28,000, f. 303
- Reports on HO's own involvement at Arundell [Nov. 23rd 1643 went with Colonel Hardres and Lieut. Col. Oxinden to Arundel (as described in Henry Oxinden’s Notebook) on parliamentary side, and death of Colonel Dixwell (nephew and heir of Sir Basil Dixwell of Broome and one of the Committee of Kent)
The Athenaeum, no. 609 (London, June 29th 1839), p.491
Secondary
Arthur Oswald, Country Houses of Kent (XXXX, 1933), pp. XX-XX
Image credits
Detail of lower half of map of Wingham and Kinghamford hundreds, from XXXX (XXXX, XXXX), copyright C.S. Greenstreet, 2011
- 'Broome, the seat of Sir Basill Dixwell Bar:t', engraving by Badeslade, originally published in Harris, XXXX (XXXX, XXXX). Reproduced as Plate XVII in M.E. Macartney, English houses and gardens in the 17th and 18th centuries (London, 1908). The book and reproduced engraving are out of copyright
