History
The Quadrangle is a Victorian model dairy farm with a magnificent hay barn, granary, workshops, lawns and a forest garden. It is close by the River Darent with the scarp slopes of the North Downs rising to the east and west.
The handsome, finely detailed red brick farmstead was built in 1870 by city banker and landowner, Henry Bingham Mildmay.
Influenced by the ‘golden years’ of Victorian agriculture, Mildmay had great enthusiasm for advances in farming techniques including new breeds, crops and labour saving inventions. He built the Quadrangle as a model for these modern ideas in farming.
It continued to be a dairy farm until 1970 when it was broken up into lots and sold. By this time in a poor state of repair, The Quadrangle was bought by Mark Lintell in 1974, who started a long and careful programme of restoration and conversion.
In 1979 Mark sold half of the buildings and 8 acres to John Keates who converted part of it into another residence and for several years ran a livery stable.
Deborah has written a history of model farms and of the Quadrangle. Please ask to see it when you’re visiting if you are interested.
Mark
Mark, Pascoe’s father and Jessie’s stepfather, came across the Quadrangle while on a walk with friends in 1972. He was immediately drawn to the building’s character and setting. When he found out it was for sale a few years later, he pooled all his resources to purchase it.
An architect and environmental consultant, Mark brought a creative flare and passion for design and ecology to the Quadrangle. As chairman of Land Use Consultants between 1990 and 2006, he played a key role in establishing the concept of environmental sustainability, which he was one of the first to promote through his work at LUC and has influenced a generation of architects, designers and activists.
When Mark died in 2006, the family established The Quadrangle Trust to follow his long-term vision: for the buildings and land to be used by the wider community and provide a space for bold environmental thinking.
Deborah
In 1986 Mark married Deborah Wolton. Together they converted one of the barns into a dormitory and built a skateboard ramp for Mark’s eldest son Joe, Deborah’s children Tom, Jessie and Callum and Mark and Deborah’s son Pascoe. The ramp and a rope swing from a high beam in the big barn kept the children entertained as building work continued. Over the decades the Quadrangle has become a gathering space for family and a hub for a wide community of friends.
A life long naturalist, Deborah’s main interest is the conservation of wildlife in the face of critical biodiversity decline. Wildlife is not just something we watch on television. The reality is that the air we breathe, the water we drink and the food we eat all depend on our intricate and complex bio diverse world. At the Quadrangle Deborah looks after the trees, the soil, the composting, the veg garden and has led the design, planting and maintenance of the Forest Garden.
Deborah has carried on developing the buildings, regenerating the land and managing the development of the social enterprise since Mark’s death.
