Restoration House is one of the finest Elizabethan and early Jacobean mansions in Kent, a large red-brick building set slightly back from Crow Lane near the southern end of the High Street. The name comes from a 1660 visit by Charles II on his way to London to reclaim the throne, though the house dates from the late 16th century.
The house opens to the public on limited days in summer, and a visit is worthwhile for anyone with an interest in historic interiors. The rooms have been carefully restored and retain much of their original character, with period furniture and fine plasterwork ceilings. The walled garden is also notable. For Dickens enthusiasts, standing in the place that supposedly inspired one of literature's most memorable settings has a particular appeal, though the house is entirely liveable rather than gothically eccentric — the cobwebs and the stopped clock existed only in the novelist's imagination.