Developers have been granted permission to transform the former home of Lord Kitchener into a swanky holiday house.

Hotel bosses are set to renovate run-down Flint Cottage on the sprawling Broome Park country estate in Barham, near Canterbury.

Hong Kong-based management firm Pyrrho Investment - which owns the 250-acre estate - hopes the 18th century property can become an attractive venue for wedding stays and family holidays.

The picturesque cottage, also known as Steward’s House, sits away from Broome Park's mansion and 18-hole golf course.

The estate was once owned by Lord Herbert Kitchener, who became Secretary of State for War at the start of the First World War and organised the largest volunteer army that Britain had ever seen.

He died on June 5, 1916 when HMS Hampshire struck a German mine near Scotland and sank, killing 737 men.

Flint Cottage is thought to have been a temporary residence of his while alterations were made to the main mansion.

But in recent years, the Gothic cottage has fallen into a state of disrepair and is suffering from prolonged exposure to water, decaying timber frames and algae growths.

Pyrrho Investment, which bought Broome Park for £6 million in 2017, has now been granted permission by Canterbury City Council to install four en-suite bedrooms at the premises, along with one bridal suite and a shared social area for group bookings and a small outside terrace area.

Flintwork will be repointed and repaired, but the building's external appearance will otherwise remain unchanged.

Documents submitted as part of the planning application said: “The current condition is poor and has had unsympathetic treatment in the past, which has left the building without a purpose in the estate and therefore given it an uncertain future.

“These proposals aim to make Flint Cottage a key building in the functioning of the estate for use as a wonderful and characterful building to provide guest accommodation.

“The owner of Broome Park is passionate about Flint Cottage. The building’s uniqueness and characterful exuberance means that this is perfectly achievable within the site."

The cottage is thought to have been built in 1778 by Sir Henry Oxenden.

Broome Park currently boasts numerous holiday apartments and lodges, along with a restaurant, bar, indoor pool, gym and two all-weather tennis courts.

Lord Kitchener purchased the estate in 1911 from the Oxenden family for £14,000 but died just five years later.

The estate was then broken up and parts of the park sold into separate ownerships, before a golf course, designed by Donald Steel opened in 1981.

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