Built in the early 16th century when Smallhythe was a royal shipbuilding port, Smallhythe Place near Tenterden was bought in 1899 by Ellen Terry, the celebrated Victorian actress; a year after her death in 1928 her daughter Edith Craig turned the house into a museum of her costumes and personal collection. Craig lived here with her partner Christopher St John and the artist Clare Atwood. The 17th-century thatched Barn Theatre is the National Trust's only working theatre, and the cottage garden runs to an orchard, a nuttery, ponds and a 55-metre rose pergola. Dogs on leads are welcome in the grounds but not the house or theatre. Reviewers praise the knowledgeable guides, the library and the tea room beside the theatre, and say the church next door is worth the short walk. Parking is a free layby 50 yards below the house, with overflow at the church except on Sundays. The Beetlewing dress is currently off display for conservation.
