There has been a house at Quex since the early 1400s, home to several different families over the centuries. It has been called 'Quex' since its ownership in the 1500s by the Quekes family, who prospered from the extensive wool industry in Kent. Major Powell-Cotton's ancestor, John Powell (1721-1783), bought the house and adjacent farm as an investment in 1777.

His nephew, John Powell Powell (1769-1849) demolished the mansion, replacing it with an elegant Regency home.

After two hundred years Quex House remains a family home. Its relaxed atmosphere and character are immediately appreciated when visitors step from the Museum galleries into the late-Victorian Oriental Drawing Room.

House Stewards are on hand to welcome visitors and provide further information about the house, the family, the paintings and furnishings

Several rooms in Quex House are open to the public during the Summer Season and provide a special addition to a visit to the Museum.