More than 700 people flooded through the gates of a country manor house in Rode, which was the scene of a gruesome murder 150 years ago.

Crowds of visitors turned out to see the gardens of Langham House, formerly Road Hill House, on Sunday, where three-year-old Saville Kent was found murdered on June 30, 1860.

The case has been the subject of several books and TV shows, including the recent award-winning The Suspicions of Mr Whicher, written by Kate Summerscale.

House owners Chris and Steph Lyons opened the grounds on Sunday afternoon to help raise money for essential work on the village church.

Halena Cury, of the old post office, in Rode organised the event as the chairperson of the Heart of Rode Appeal, which is raising £35,000 for kitchen and toilet facilities at the church.

Mrs Cury said: “We knew when we arranged the open gardens that it would be around the time of the anniversary and we expected about 250 to 300 people, but we got more than double that.

“We have raised £4,500 for the church through admission costs and cream teas, this has been a huge help and we only have £4,000 left to raise.”

Wardens were placed around the extensive grounds to tell people about the house and gardens and talk to them about the history of the house and the murder mystery.