Sackett's Hill

Sackett's Hill lies within the parish of St Peter in Thanet, just off the Dane Court Road, about a twenty-minute walk from St Peter's Church along part of the thousand year-old path that connects the ancient churches of St Lawrence, St Peter, and St John—the same path trodden over the centuries by many generations of Sacketts.

The "hill" rises only slightly above the surrounding countryside. It was described by family historian Alfred Barrett Sackett in 1962 as "a treed oasis in a plain land of bare houses and fields."

Sackett's Hill today is home to about a dozen households, a market gardening business, and a waste sorting plant. The remains of the once-proud Sackett's Hill House, a fine Georgian mansion burnt to the ground in 1942 are long-gone, the stone and brick reused in a modern bungalow on the site. Still there, however, is Sackett's Hill Farmhouse, a grade II listed building dating from about 1680. Although empty for some years and in a dilapidated state, the house is capable of restoration, and is for sale.

The earliest Sackett known to have occupied the hill (although there were surely earlier generations of Sacketts there) was John Saket who was described in his will of 1590 as a husbandman of Sackett's Hill. The last Sackett to own the hill was Richard Sackett (1717–1789), a yeoman farmer and wealthy landowner who owned not just Sackett's Hill but also the Manor of Dane Court, as well as a fine mansion at East Northdown, and a number of other houses and farms in the area.

Sackett's Hill House

Sackett's Hill House was described in the estate agent's particulars of 1935 as Georgian, suggesting that it would have dated from the 18th century. One occupant is believed to have been Sir Richard Burten who commanded the Congreve rocket batteries at the Battle of Waterloo (1815).

Richard Sackett, in his will of 1789, mentions Sackett's Hill house and farm, then occupied by John Cleveland of St Peter's, a yeoman. It cannot be said with certainty whether this would have referred to the Georgian mansion there, or to the earlier, but still standing, farmhouse (the 1680 house).

A number of the photographs in this collection are reproduced here by kind permission of Nick Smyth who was born at Sackett's Hill House.

Nick's maternal grandfather, Captain E L B Lockyer, RN, bought the house sometime before 1921 as he is recorded as living there in the Who's Who of that year. He sold it in 1935 and moved to North Devon, apparently because, even in those days, it was getting too crowded and he wanted somewhere quieter!

The photographs are readily dated to 1935 as they were taken by the estate agent instructed to sell the property.

The appearance in one of the photographs of the White Ensign has echoes of the right still retained by the nearby St Peter's Church to fly the Ensign as a result of its tower having been used as a naval signalling station in Napoleonic times. However, the reason for its appearance on the flagstaff at Sackett's Hill House was quite different.

Nick explains, "The White Ensign actually came from one of my grandfather's more well-known ships, the armed liner Carmania where he was the gunnery officer and in 1914 succeeded in sinking the German armed liner Cap Trafalgar. The only armament was a 4.7" gun. The German ship concentrated on bombarding the Carmania's superstructure, attempting to disable the crew and shoot away the Carmania's wireless aerials to prevent her calling for help. Grandfather had a different idea—he put as many shells as he could into the Cap Trafalgar's waterline and sank her."

It is noted by D Perkins in Sketches of Historic Thanet that, "as the house stood a good way back from Dane Court Road one owner installed a light railway to transport his guests!" The pictures here suggest that the installation of the railway may have been more as a hobby than as a practical means of transport.

Nick's grandfather is pictured driving his first steam loco, a 2.5 inch gauge 4-6-2, which Nick believes was a model of the Princess Class of locomotive.

The Dutch barn at Sackett's Hill
(Picture by Jill Attwell)

Sackett's Hill House, flying the White Ensign to mark the Silver Jubilee of King George V in 1935
(Source: Nick Smyth)

Sackett's Hill House
(Source: Nick Smyth)

The newspaper advertisement offering Sackett's Hill House for sale in 1935
(Source: Nick Smyth)

Main entrance to Sackett's Hill House
(Source: Nick Smyth)
The bunting around the doorway was probably in celebration of the Silver Jubilee in 1935 of King George V.

Front garden of Sackett's Hill House
(Source: Nick Smyth)
The entrance driveway to the right may be seen as it is today in the picture of Brazil's yard looking from the opposite direction.

Garden to the rear of Sackett's Hill House
(Source: Nick Smyth)
The area of land immediately to the rear of the house is the site of the present-day bungalow.

Sackett's Hill House interior
(Source: Nick Smyth)

Sackett's Hill House interior
(Source: Nick Smyth)

Sackett's Hill House interior
(Source: Nick Smyth)

Anyone for tennis?
Sackett's Hill House grounds, 1935
(Source: Nick Smyth. Picture by Jack Lockyer.)

Captain Lockyer driving his first steam loco, a 2.5 inch gauge 4-6-2 believed to be a model of the Princess Class of loco. The track appears to be on the route up to Sackett's Hill from the main Dane Court Road.
(Source: Nick Smyth. Picture: Jack Lockyer.)

Nick Smyth's grandfather driving his first steam loco
(Source: Nick Smyth. Picture: Jack Lockyer.)

Buddles Farm Cottage
(Picture by Chris Sackett)

The former Sackett's Hill House which was destroyed by fire in 1942
(picture supplied by Susannah Foad, Isle of Thanet)

This distant view of St Peter's Church from Sackett's Hill has been seen by many generations of Sacketts
(Chris Sackett 2007)

Orchard Cottage, the 1633 flintstone cottage at Sackett's Hill, with a glimpse of Sackett's Hill Farmhouse in the background

Drawing of the former Sackett's Hill House from Sketches of Historic Thanet by D Perkins
Accompanying text reads "This was one home of the Sackett family, yeoman farmers in Thanet for over five hundred years. Another occupant was Sir Richard Burten who commanded the Congreve rocket batteries at the Battle of Waterloo. The house burnt down in 1942 and now only the stables remain. A cottage at Sackett's Hill has fine "Flemish gables". As the house stood a good way back from Dane Court Road one owner installed a light railway to transport his guests!"

Sackett's Hill Farmhouse (from sale particulars, January 2008, Clive Emson land & property auctioneers), described as a Grade II Listed farmhouse, believed to date from around 1680, with Dutch gables and constructed in red brick with a plain tiled roof and a catslide roof to the rear. The property has a wealth of beams and inglenook fireplaces.

Dutch barn at Sackett's Hill Farmhouse (from sale particulars, January 2008, Clive Emson land & property auctioneers)

Entrance to Young's Nursery, Sackett's Hill

Ruins of farm outbuildings, Sackett's Hill

Gable of Sackett's Hill farmhouse

Brazil Bros. waste sorting site at Sackett's Hill. This was the site of Sackett's Hill House which stood just to the left of the parked vehicles in the picture. Stone from the demolished house was used in the construction of a modern bungalow further to the left and out of camera shot, now occupied by Mr and Mrs Brazil.

Looking along Sackett's Hill roadway towards main Dane Court Road

View from Sackett's Hill towards St John's, Margate

Jill Attwell outside her 1633 flintstone Orchard Cottage
(Picture by Mary Volberding, 2008)