Shopping at Scotney Castle

Main Shop

You'll find the main shop in the Courtyard at Scotney. As well as our range of National Trust chutneys, jams, biscuits and treats, the shop stocks fashion accessories including hats, scarves and bags with designs inspired by our places, items for the garden such as kneelers, wildflower seed, bird feeders and lanterns, as well as an array of toys, books and stationery. You'll also find distinctive items for the home including mugs, cosy throws and blankets, and scented candles.

If you're looking for a memento of your visit, you'll find a wide choice of Scotney-branded items including postcards, tea towels, mugs, fridge magnets, bookmarks, keyrings, pens, pencils and jigsaw puzzles.

And, as you'd expect for Scotney, canine companions are also well catered for with a selection of dog toys, treats, portable water bowls, and doggy ice creams.

Supporting local suppliers

We support Kent and Sussex artisan producers and suppliers which helps to reduce road miles and improve sustainability. Do look out for our many locally-sourced items including:

• Handmade wooden jewellery by Lucy Alice from Folkestone
• In the Loop cocktails, based in Uckfield, who use home-grown lemon verbena, grapes grown in England, and seven English botanicals including gorse flowers foraged from the Ashdown Forest in their range.
• Kate Neame's beautiful lino-cut printed greetings cards
• Celia Pike's portrait cards of Betty Hussey's famous "Puss"
• Olio of Oxney's lavender cushions
• Beautifully-fragranced vegan-friendly soap from the English Soap Company based in Sussex
• Westerham Brewery in Sevenoaks who use the hops from Scotney's own hop farm to produce their Spirit of Kent pale ale and Grasshopper red ale
• Knotts Wood hand-turned wooden bowls and vases
• Blended Therapies 'Ouch' essential oils cream to ease muscle and joint pain and improve poor circulation
• Wood Cottage Craft wooden garden mushrooms and fairy doors

National Trust publications

Perfect purchases for cake bakers, film buffs and photography fans, discover Scotney's many faces in three new National Trust books available in the shop.

'National Trust Book of Cakes'

Discover the recipe for Kentish Ale Fruit Cake, made using beer brewed from hops grown on the Scotney estate, the last working hop farm in the National Trust. Soaking the dried fruit overnight gives a depth and malty nuttiness to the cake which develops as it matures. Pick up the Scotney ales and the recipe book for this and 54 other delicious delights in the Scotney shop.

'National Trust on Screen'

Discover Scotney amongst the location that made film and TV magic. Adapted from Neil Gaiman's comic novel, Netflix's hugely successful production of 'The Sandman' was filmed at the old castle and mansion house at Scotney in 2021. The National Trust book reveals some of the measures put in place to protect the SSSI gardens as the castle island was transformed into the home of Cain and Abel, as well as other National Trust locations that have featured on the big, and smaller, screen including 'Bridgerton', 'Wolf Hall', 'Game of Thrones', 'Pride and Prejudice' and 'The Dark Knight Rises'.

'100 Photographs from the Collections of the National Trust'

This book showcases a selection of 100 photographs from the Trust's collection of more than half a million photographs. Included from Scotney's collection are early photo booth shots. The newly-invented Photomaton machine arrived in the UK around 1928, but the images captured of Elizabeth Kerr-Smiley and a friend are timeless in their presentation of youth, friendship and fun.

Also included are photographs from the late 1850s of Scotney's mansion house and its then owners Edward Hussey III with his wife Henrietta and their young son, Edward Windsor Hussey (Edwy), taken by early women photographers and sisters, Lady Lucy and Lady Charlotte Bridgeman.

You can see the originals of the Scotney images included in this book, along with other photographs from Scotney's archive in 'Snapper Snapped', our special photographic display in the mansion house which opens on 17 June and runs until 3 November.

Flower Power at the Plant Shop

From spring to autumn, the plant shop in the Courtyard sells beautiful perennial flowering plants and herbs, all in peat-free compost. Our new season's ranges are in now, all ready for you to plant up in beds, borders or baskets.

There's also a wide range of pots and containers and garden ornaments such as decorative metal plant stakes, pot hangers and wind chimes. You'll also find bird feeders and bird baths, as well as seeds for the birds and seeds for your garden or window-box.

Second-hand Bookshop

As well as the main shop, our well-stocked second-hand bookshop, Betsy's, is right by the Visitor Entrance. It carries a wide range of pre-loved titles with something for everyone, including collectable older titles, and a children’s corner. The shelves are regularly refreshed so have a browse and discover that out-of-print novel you’ve been searching for, a much-loved classic, or a new author to enjoy.

We also have a range of special collectors' titles that aren't on display but are listed on the pdf below. If you are interested in purchasing any of these titles please get in touch.

Donations of books, particularly children's and young adults' books, are always welcome. These can be left with the team in the Scotney Property Office.

Every penny spent in the second-hand bookshop goes directly into caring for Scotney, so every donation and every purchase really makes a difference. Thank you.