Monty Don, hugely popular gardener and BBC presenter,  officially opened the Japanese Tea House Folly at Hever Castle which was constructed this year to mark the 30th anniversary of the Guthrie family owning the Castle. The folly, designed by Stephen Langer Architects as a re-creation in the spirit of the original Japanese Tea House built by William Waldorf Astor in the early 1900’s, was built by a local firm, Scott Partnership. Using traditional timber framing techniques and locally sourced timber, some from the Hever Castle estate, the tea house is painted a bright red and has four golden dragons poised on each corner of the roof. It is open for the public to walk around the veranda and the interior, although kept closed, is available to hire for special occasions and can accommodate  up to 6 people.