Exploring Kent's Past

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Monument details

Summary

Nettlestead Place, formerly Nettlestead Manor House or The Place, can be traced back to Domesday when it was among the possessions of Odo, Bishop of Bayeux. A century later the tenant Michael de Wahul built the vaulted undercroft (c.1240-1270) comprising 4 double bays with 3 central pillars. A perpendicular storey was built above. From the thirteenth century the Pympe family made alterations including the window in the south wall. Reginald Pympe (d.1438) remodelled the first floor over the undercroft and added a narrower, 2 storey addition at the east end. From 1576 the Scotts added and altered, the date 1587 marking the alterations. In the nineteenth century The Place was partly dismantled. In 1922 the house was restored and additions made to the north side of the medieval building. A new wing was added to the east end. Now a private residence in good condition. See also - TQ 65 SE 44, TQ 65 SE 45 and TQ 65 SE 43.

Summary from record TQ 65 SE 108:

Grade I listed building. Main construction periods 1230 to 1922

Monument Types

• MANOR HOUSE (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
• UNDERCROFT (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
• SITE (Medieval to Modern - 1230 AD to 1922 AD)
• COUNTRY HOUSE (Post Medieval - 1540 AD? to 1850 AD?)
• FARM BUILDING (Post Medieval to Modern - 1850 AD? to 1922 AD?)
• COUNTRY HOUSE (Modern - 1922 AD? to 2050 AD?)

Full description

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[Name centred at TQ 68525195]. Nettlestead Place [T.I.] on remains of The Place [G.T.] (1) The descent of the manor can be traced from its mention in Domesday to the present day. There are remains of the ancient Place house, built of stone. On the west front is the date 1587 probably of some repair or addition as the other parts of the building are older. (2) Nettlestead Manor House consists of a very fine Early English cellar with a perpendicular storey over it and an addition in that style at the east end. The house was much more extensive, a large portion, including apparently the hall, having been destroyed. (3) Nettlestead Place is said to have been built by the father of the Reg de Pympe who died in 1438. About 150 years ago the Place was dismantled but there are considerable remains. The great hall has an oast house at each end but the ground floor survives with much vaulting. (4) At the time of Domesday the manor of Nettlestead was among the possessions of Odo, Bishop of Bayeux. A century later the tenant was Michael de Wahull but before the end of the 13th cent. the manor had passed to the Pympe family [History of the manor from Domesday to Temp Henry VII]. The vaulted undercroft can be assigned to the second half of Henry III's reign [1216-72] possibly the work of Walter de Wahull who was holding the manor in 1262. The 15th cent. alterations, including the windows in the south wall can be attributed to Reginald Pympe who lived until 1438. (5) Nettlestead Place embraces the south and half the east side of a courtyard, the medieval range being to the south. In 1922 the house was restored, additions made to the north side of the medieval range and a new wing added to the east end. The first features of the medieval house are in the south wall. The vaulted undercroft, dating perhaps to between 1240 and 1270, comprises four double bays with three central pillars. The chamfered ribs spring from corbels carved with leaf ornaments with twists. In the early 15th cent. the first floor above the undercroft was entirely remodelled and a narrower two-storey addition made at the east end. To this period belong the windows in the south wall. Much alteration and further enlargement took place in the 16th cent. after the Scotts asquired Nettlestead in 1576. These alterations included the three square projections, apparently closets and privies, in the south front. A doorway in the south front has the date A.D. 1587 carved in the sqandrels. (Full architectural description and history from the 16th century) (6) TQ 68525204. The building, as described by authority 6 is in good condition and in use as a residence. (7)

Description from record TQ 65 SE 108:
The following text is from the original listed building designation:
NETTLESTEAD MAIDSTONE ROAD TQ 65 SE (East side) 1/7 Nettlestead Place 23-5-67 GV I
Country house. Used as oast house from C18 until c.1921. Now house. Circa 1250-60, circa 1438 or slightly earlier, and circa 1589, with restoration and additions of 1921-22 by Morley Horder. Roughly coursed galleted ragstone to ground floor of main range and lower section of first floor, more random and less galleted ragstone to rest of first floor. Roughly coursed comparatively rubbly ragstone to C15 right (east) addition. Small blocks of roughly-coursed ragstone to 1920 section. Plain tile roofs. Ground floor of main range comprises mid C13 undercroft of four double bays, with low doorway at north end of east gable end. First floor of main range rebuilt or extensively modified c.1438, and possibly divided into two rooms. Shorter, narrower two- storey section built or rebuilt at east end, its south elevation aligned with that of main range, its north elevation, or the west-end of it, probably abutting a non-extant turret or wing running north from the angle with the main range. A 1922 stair turret now occupies this position. 1922 additions comprise a two-storey addition to the east end of the narrow C15 section, (set back from south elevation), a wing running north from it, and a passage and two-storey porch along north elevation of main range. South elevation: 2 storeys. High hollow- chamfered plinth to main range only. Eaves of C15 addition same height as main range, ridge formerly lower, but made continuous with main range in 1922. Stone-coped gable to each end of whole range. 1920s red and grey brick stack with two diagonally-set flues to rear of west end of main range, and another, projecting, with three flues, to east gable end of C15 addition. Irregular first-floor fenestration of five tall C15 two-light windows with cinquefoil-headed lights and moulded architraves, mullions and hoodmoulds; one with squared head towards west end of main range, two with cambered heads adjacent to each other to east end of main range, another with cambered head to west end of C15 addition, and one with squared head to east end of addition. Three small plain-chamfered rectangular windows to undercroft. Narrow uncusped three-centred- arched single light with moulded architrave and squared moulded hoodmould towards west end of C15 addition on ground floor. Further window similar to, and virtually underneath first-floor window towards east end. Four- centred-arched hollow-chamfered doorway with broach stops, moulded outer architrave, squared moulded hoodmould, and shields dated "Ad 1589" to spandrels, to west end of C15 addition. Three rectangular two-storey projections, probably garderobes of late C16 or earlier, but that to the addition probably of a slightly different date from the other two; one towards centre and one to east end of main range, and one towards centre of C15 addition. All formerly had lean-to roofs, but now have plain stone- coped parapets. Two to main range have stonework similar to that of main wall, and continuous hollow-chamfered plinths. Projection to C15 addition has similar stonework to the addition, a low hollow-chamfered plinth, long irregular quoins, and an off-set between ground and first floors. None appears to have a drainage arch. Each has a small moulded stone window towards top, that to centre of main range oval, the other two circular. Projection to east end of main range also has a rectangular slit light towards top of east return. Two buttresses towards west end of main range, one with hollow-chamfered plinth. Battered buttress to south-east corner. West gable end rebuilt in 1922. 1922 addition: 2 storeys, with lower eaves and ridge than C15 section. Roof gabled to east. Two small gabled dormers. Two leaded first-floor windows, one single-light and one four-light. Long east return elevation has a gabled bay towards each end, two stacks, and mullioned windows. North west courtyard elevation has gabled bay, stair-turret and two-storey porch, small gabled dormers stone mullioned windows, and moulded four- centred-arched stone doorway. Interior: quadripartite vaulting to undercroft, with plain-chamfered ribs springing from low central columns with moulded capitals and bases, and from moulded wall corbels. Stone flag floor. Rectangular windows to north side, now giving on to 1922 corridor. Broad pointed-arched hollow-chamfered stone north doorway with broach stops, probably a 1922 insertion, in second bay from west, opposite 1922 porch. Low late C13 doorway towards north end of east gable end, with cambered rere-arch to undercroft side, and pointed hollow-chamfered archway with broach stops to present staircase - hall side. Doorway, probably C15, with more rounded rere-arch to undercroft, towards south end of same wall, giving access to C15 ground-floor room, which has three broad cross beams to ceiling, equally broad, tenoned axial beams, and broad close-set joists, all with flush surfaces. Splayed and chamfered architrave to south-east window. C15 doorway at west end of north wall has cambered chamfered rere-arch to room, moulded pointed arch and hoodmould to present staircase-hall side, and ribbed door. Similar doorway immediately above it in same wall on first floor. First- floor level of C15 addition is several steps lower than that of main range. Cavetto-moulded inner architraves to all first-floor windows except south-west, and shutter rebates to all. 1922 staircase hall separated from corridor on north side by pair of C20 pointed-arched doubly hollow-chamfered doorways with broach stops, aligned with north wall of undercroft. Immediately east of them, open-well staircase with turned balusters and newels rising to north. Two doubly hollow-chamfered C20 segmental stone arches dying into walls, span hall at foot of stairs. Roof not inspected. (Country Life 16th and 23rd October 1958 and Margaret Wood, the English Medieval House, 1965. Pre-1922 exterior photographs in National Monuments Record).
Listing NGR: TQ6854552056

13TH C BUILDING, NETTLESTEAD PLACE. (Photograph). SKE1444.

13TH C BUILDING, NETTLESTEAD PLACE. (Photograph). SKE1444.

<1> OS 6" 1907-38 (OS Card Reference). SKE48320.

<2> History of Kent 5 1798 118 (Hasted) (OS Card Reference). SKE44126.

<3> Domestic Architecture in England Rich II to Hen VIII 2 1869 306 (Turner) (OS Card Reference). SKE41486.

<4> A Saunter thro' Kent with pen & pencil 2 1914 15 (C Igglesden) (OS Card Reference). SKE32842.

<5> Country Life 124 322 Oct 16th 1958 832-5 photos (A Oswald) (OS Card Reference). SKE39394.

<6> Country Life 124 3223 Oct 23rd 1958 886-9 plan photos (A Oswald) (OS Card Reference). SKE39396.

<7> F1 EG 23.06.59 (OS Card Reference). SKE42870.

<8> F2 CFW 12.02.64 (OS Card Reference). SKE43224.

<9> DOE (HHR) Dist of Maidstone 1987 5 6 (OS Card Reference). SKE40280.

<10> Field report for monument TQ 65 SE 15 - June, 1959 (Bibliographic reference). SKE3423.

<11> Field report for monument TQ 65 SE 15 - February, 1964 (Bibliographic reference). SKE3424.

Sources and further reading

Related records