Westerham offers a range of ways to plan a trip focused on culture and nature: a town house with family history, reminders of several centuries, wine experiences and walks through the Commons. When planning a stay, you can choose according to your interests – for example, historic sites, walking and cycling routes, or a wine tasting. There are also specific bus routes for getting here; you should check their timetables in advance.

Quebec House, its gardens and the story of James Wolfe

Quebec House is an 18th-century town house and was the family home of General James Wolfe. The garden also reflects the history of the house: it dates from the 18th century and features seasonal flowers. There is also a herb and kitchen garden, restored using Mrs Wolfe’s recipe book. Together, the house and garden offer different insights – into the period when the house was built, on the one hand, and into gardening and culinary traditions, on the other.

James Wolfe was born in Westerham on 2 January 1727. His birthplace and the family home are two separate biographical details. Another historical point of interest is the exhibition The Story of the Westerham Foundlings in the Coach House at Quebec House. Since April 2026, it has been telling this story in collaboration with Coram. As the exhibition’s status may change, check whether it is currently running before planning a visit.

Church and public art

The Church of St. Mary the Virgin was originally built in the 13th century. Its historical features include small brass reliefs from the 16th century and various memorial tablets from the 17th and 18th centuries. The dates therefore span the church’s early history and later commemorative objects. The centuries help put them in context: the construction, reliefs and memorial tablets do not belong to the same period.

Two statues also offer contrasting artistic perspectives. The Statue of General Wolfe was erected in 1911 and designed by Derwent Wood ARA. The Statue of Sir Winston Churchill, by contrast, is a modern bronze cast by Oscar Nemon. Together, the works offer an opportunity to explore two very different forms of public commemoration without treating them as art-historically equivalent.

Westerham Commons and routes through the landscape

Westerham Commons are designated Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). Five bat species use the old ragstone mines as hibernation sites; the Kent Wildlife Trust manages the mines as a nature reserve. Nature lovers can therefore find not only a conservation designation here, but also a specific link to wildlife and the mines’ use as winter quarters.

The Commons have footpaths and bridleways for walking, horse riding and cycling, including the Greensand Way. The Westerham to Chartwell Way-marked Walking Trail is a separate route, signposted as a walking trail between Westerham and Chartwell. Nearby, Toys Hill offers views of Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex and Surrey from the highest point of the Greensand Ridge in Kent.

Wine experiences at Squerryes

Squerryes offers self-guided tours of its smaller vineyard at the estate. Tours of the private vineyard can be arranged for groups of eight or more with advance booking. The formats therefore differ mainly in which vineyard is visited and whether the tour is booked for a group. Check the latest booking details before making plans.

At Flight of Squerryes, hosted tastings feature up to four of the estate’s finest vintage sparkling wines. Squerryes uses only fruit from its own 36-acre vineyard for its wines; the fruit is hand-picked. The vineyard is part of the 2,500-acre Squerryes Estate. The size figures therefore refer to two different areas: the vineyard and the estate.

Getting here and choosing where to stay

On Sundays and public holidays, bus route 246 runs from Bromley North station to Westerham. Route 401 runs from Sevenoaks; route 236 runs from Edenbridge and Oxted to Westerham. Check the timetables before travelling, especially if you rely on the route 246 service mentioned for Sundays and public holidays. When choosing a hotel in Westerham, you can first decide what you want to focus on: cultural history, walks through the Commons, or a wine experience.

Discover more destinations: Ash, Camber, Ivychurch, Chilham, Maidstone, Sissinghurst, Brookland, East Farleigh.

For the broader travel overview: Kent.