High Elms was one of the grandest and largest houses built in the Kent countryside close to London.

The building as seen dates from the 1840s. It was built, replacing an earlier mansion, on a nearby site by Sir John Ludbuck, the third generation of that family to live on the estate.

At the same time the grounds were extremely landscaped.

The house and estate were sold to Kent County Council in 1938 but it was destroyed by fire in 1967. The grounds are now used as a golf course.

This very early view is a Daguerreotype and the house is shown as a reversed image.