Chilston Park

Chilston Park
The house from the north
Location within Kent
General information
Town or city	Boughton Malherbe
Country	England
Coordinates	51°13′08″N 0°42′43″E / 51.21898°N 0.711962°E / 51.21898; 0.711962

Chilston Park is a country house in Boughton Malherbe, Kent, England. Started in the 15th century, the house has been modified many times and is a Grade I listed building, currently operated as a country house hotel.

In the early 12th century the manor of Chilston is recorded as being the property of William Fitz-Hamon. It became the property of the Hoese or Hussey family in the 13th century, who held it until 1545, when it was sold to John Parkhurst. After his descendant Sir William Parkhurst sold the manor to Richard Northwood of Thanet, it passed quickly through the possession of several owners before becoming the property of Edward Hales in 1650. Hales was a nephew of Sir Edward Hales and was briefly MP for Hythe in 1685 and 1689. He died in 1696 and his daughters sold the house in 1698 to Elizabeth Hamilton, widow of James Hamilton and mother of James Hamilton, 6th Earl of Abercorn.

Elizabeth Hamilton died in 1709 and is buried in the church at Hollingbourne. The estate was inherited by her younger son William Hamilton, who left it on his death in 1737 to his son John Hamilton. He sold the estate to Thomas Best, MP for Canterbury (1741–54 and 1761–68). The next owner was his nephew George Best, MP for Rochester (1790–96). Following Best's death in 1819, the house was bought by George Douglas, passing to James Stoddart Douglas, MP for Rochester (1841–47), and then to a distant relative Aretas Akers in 1875.