Walking to Spong Farm House from The King’s Head — 4.3-Mile Circular via Elmsted
Spong Farm House — a Grade II* listed building 4.3 miles from The King's Head, Wye.
Spong Farm House is a timber-framed in Elmsted, 4.3 miles from The King’s Head. The NHLE entry singles out its jetty. Historic England listed it in 1966.
Walking to Spong Farm House — 4.3 miles from Wye
Rated Moderate at 4.3 miles with about 40m of ascent. Allow around 174 minutes at a steady 3 mph pace; add 15–20 minutes for photographs at the building and a pause at a viewpoint.
Why Spong Farm House is Grade II* listed — the 1966 designation
The building or site itself may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.
- Grade:
- II*
- Listed:
- 1966
- Parish:
- Elmsted
- District:
- Ashford
- Statutory address:
- Spong Farm House
- NHLE entry:
- 1260301 ↗
TR 14 NW ELMSTEAD – 1/122 Spong Farm House 29.12.66 II* Farmhouse. Probably early-to-mid C16 on an earlier site. Timber framed, with painted brick and rendered infilling. Plain tile roof. 4 timber-framed bays; open hall to rear 2/3 of two central bays only, and storeyed end bays. 2 storeys, on flint plinth . Continuous jetty, coeval with open hall, with moulded solid-spandrel brackets, returning to left and right on moulded dragon posts. Broadly-spaced framing. First-floor tension braces to gable ends and four towards centre of front elevation. Long moulded window-cill to ground floor of right hall bay. Hipped roof with gablets. C17 brick ridge stack between left hall bay and left end bay. Irregular fenestration of 7 small single-light casements. Boarded double doors with four-centred arched head with leaf spandrels, up three steps under and slightly to right of stack. Painted brick lean-to to rear to left. Interior: exposed framing. Axial beam to front of centre of right hall bay, with double hollow chamfer to front side only; beam extends unmoulded into left hall bay and carries joists between it and jetty. Right end-of-hall beam moulded and brattished between this axial beam and a mortice for a spear for doorway towards rear end. Evidence for another doorway towards front end. Axial joists, morticed for central partition, to right end bay. Chamfered axial beam to ceiled left end bay, and tenoned cross beam towards left end. Central-truss tie-beam cambered and chamfered only over open hall, levelling out over gallery; tie- beam has arch brace to rear and knee brace from post on gallery to front of open hall, and further knee brace from front wall-post. First-floor partition to right end of hall has possible evidence for doorway to gallery. Left end partition disturbed by stack. Chamfered axial beam and chamfered joists to inserted hall floor. Roof not inspected. Said to have been owned by Robert Spong in circa 1440. Galleried hall unusual in this area. Listing NGR: TR1247245771
Listing metadata — from the National Heritage List for England
- NHLE entry number:
- 1260301
- Heritage Category / Grade:
- Listed Building, Grade II*
- First listed:
- 1966
- Capture scale:
- 1:2500
- Grid reference (NGR):
- TR 12472 45771
- BNG Easting / Northing:
- 612,472 E / 145,771 N
- Coordinates (WGS84):
- 51.171695°N, 1.038073°E
- Parish:
- Elmsted
- District:
- Ashford
- Kent Downs landscape zone:
- The Stour Valley Floor
- Distance to North Downs Way:
- 2.60 miles
- Distance from The King's Head:
- 4.35 miles
- Walk duration (round trip):
- 174 minutes
- Elevation gain:
- 40 m
- Difficulty rating:
- Moderate
Architectural features at Spong Farm House
Keywords extracted from Historic England’s Official List Entry — each one is genuinely in the designation prose, not inferred.
Other Grade II* walks in Elmsted
| Listing | Grade | Parish | Distance from Wye |
|---|---|---|---|
| Walking to Dean Farm from The King’s Head — 4.3-Mile Circular via Elmsted | Grade | — | 4.3 miles |
| Walking to Old Leigh Place from The King’s Head — 4.7-Mile Circular via Elmsted | Grade | — | 4.7 miles |
Buildings listed in the 1960s near Wye
| Listing | Grade | Parish | Distance from Wye | Listed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade I Heritage Walk: Walking to Church Of St Bartholomew from The King’s Head — 3.7-Mile Circular via North Downs Way | Grade I | Waltham | 3.7 miles | 1967 |
| Grade I Heritage Walk: Walking to Church Of St James from The King’s Head — 4.0-Mile Circular via Elmsted | Grade I | Elmsted | 4.0 miles | 1966 |
| Grade I Heritage Walk: Walking to Church Of St Mary from The King’s Head — 4.0-Mile Circular via North Downs Way | Grade I | Westwell | 4.0 miles | 1967 |
| Walking to Old Leigh Place from The King’s Head — 4.7-Mile Circular via Elmsted | Grade II* | Elmsted | 4.7 miles | 1966 |
| Walking to Mystole Coach House from The King’s Head — 4.9-Mile Circular via Chartham | Grade II* | Chartham | 4.9 miles | 1967 |
The landscape around Spong Farm House — The Stour Valley Floor
The Great Stour winds east through a broad, flat-bottomed valley of alluvium and river terrace gravels. Meadows close to the river are traditionally managed as damp grazing; in summer the banks are hung with willow and the still pools hold mayfly and brown trout. Historic watermills and gauged river stretches survive along the reach — material reminders of the valley’s medieval milling economy. The valley edges rise sharply into the flanking downs on both sides: looking east from Wye, one is reading a landscape section in real time, from chalk-grassland rim to river-meadow floor and up again.
Pubs within 3 miles of Spong Farm House
| Pub | Distance from route | Address | Postcode | Authority |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Plough Inn open_in_new | 1.9 miles | Stelling Minnis, CT4 6AU | CT4 6AU | Canterbury |
| The Five Bells open_in_new | 2.6 miles | The Street, Brabourne, TN25 5LP | TN25 5LP | Ashford |
Plan your visit
Every walk on this site starts and finishes at The King’s Head — Bridge Street, Wye, TN25 5EA.
Frequently asked about Spong Farm House
How far is Spong Farm House from The King's Head?
Which other Grade II* walks are in Elmsted?
Heritage data © Historic England NHLE · Trail & landscape data © Natural England (Open Government Licence) · Pub locations published under the Open Government Licence.