Exploring Kent's Past

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Monument details

Summary

Grade II* listed building. Main construction periods 1100 to 1700 Premonstratensian abbey founded in 1189 and dissolved in 1535. The abbey buildings survive partly as ruins incorporated within a later house built in red brick in the 1590s. Elsewhere the abbey survives in buried form. Excavations revealed the church to be aisled throughout its length, with a chapel to the North, but without transepts. The claustral range lay to the South, the chapter house, refectory, and slype being excavated. The infirmary lay to the East of the claustral range.There are two associated fishponds. Scheduled.

Monument Types

• FISHPOND (FISHPOND, Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
• PREMONSTRATENSIAN MONASTERY (PREMONSTRATENSIAN MONASTERY, Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
• ABBEY (Medieval to Post Medieval - 1100 AD to 1700 AD)

Full description

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Description from record TR 34 NW 7:
[TR 32634696] Remains of Langdon Abbey [NR] (Premonstratensian. Founded A.D. 1189) (NAT) (1) Abbey of Premonstratensian Canons at Langdon; founded 1189; dissolved 1535; dedicated to St. Mary and St. Thomas of Canterbury. The site of the abbey is marked by a late 16th century red brick house (mostly rebuilt in the 18th c.) which is built on and incorporates the undercrofts of the cellarer's buildings. Excavation in 1882 uncovered the plan of the rest of the abbey. [See photo AO/LP/63/74] (2-4) "Langdon Abbey" a private residence, incorporates the remains of the cellarer's buildings, as described above, which are in good condition.The excavations of 1882 are filled in or overgrown and there are no surveyable remains. To the SW of the house are the remains of two dry fishponds, (centred at TR 32594691) formerly fed in series by a water supply from the west. The lower pond was revetted with a stone wall at the east end of which the lower courses remain. Surveyed at 1:2500. (5) History of the Premonstratensian Abbey and its canons. (6,7) Limited excavations were undertaken by Mr W.C. Harrison and the Duke of York Archaeological Society in 1960 on the site of the Abbey. A tile-built fireplace and quantities of roofing tiles and oysters were found. An accurate survey was made with the help of the Royal Engineers. A future trench is planned to explore inside walls, the cloister and garth. (8) Brief note. (9) Langdon Abbey. Grade II*. House. C12, C16 and late C17 altered mid C19. Built for Thornhill family on remains of Premonstratensian priory. (10,11) [For full description see list].

For plan see Arch Cant 15 p.62 (15)

The following text is from the original listed building designation:
TR 34 NW LANGDON LANGDON ABBEY
2/29 Langdon Abbey 27.3.52 GV II*
House. C12, C16 and late C17 altered mid C19. Built for Thornhill family on remains of Premonstratensian priory. Red brick in irregular Flemish, stretcher bond and English bond, with flint and dressed stone sections to rear. Plain tiled roof. Entrance front; late C17, 2 storeys and basement with plinth, plat band and boxed eaves to hipped roof, with stacks to left, centre left and to right. C19 fenestration, regular to right hand of elevations, with 2 tripartite sashes and central segmentally headed sash, and 2 tripartite sashes on ground floor with central door of 6 panels with semi-circular fanlight in rendered rusticated surround. The left hand portion has 1 sash on each floor in blocked larger window openings, and door of 4 raised and fielded panels with simple architrave. Four segmentally headed basement openings. Rear elevation: L-shaped 2 storey hipped structure in English bond with brick arcading of giant pilasters carried across whole facade and projecting wing. The main wing with keyed and blocked arches on ground floor, now filled in, so as to form 3 bay portico effect, an unusually advanced classical feature in the east Kent Artisan Mannerist vocabulary. Projecting from the left hand projecting wing is 1 storey extension of stone blocks with galleting, the return wall of this wing is rebuilt in C18 brickwork. Interior: rear wings with large scantling joists. Chamfered and stopped with quirk and tongue. Some fitted cupboards and doors with raised and fielded panelling, most features date from mid C19. Cellars: the undercroft of the cellarium of the C12 abbey form the basis of the C17 cellars, including a barrel vaulted slype with finely gauged chalk, webbing, the main range at right angles to this, with the springers for groin vaults surviving, with chamfered arched and round headed stone doorways. Domed bread oven C18 survives in stone end wing. Langdon Abbey was founded by William d'Auberville of Westernhanger 1189-1192 for white canons from Leyston Suffolk. Dedicated to St. Mary and St. Thomas the Martyr, the Abbey (strictly only a priory) had an uneventful history until dissolution in 1535. A house was built by Samuel Thornhill after 1590 and extended by his successors until 1700, when sold to Waldershare estate. The church and conventual remains lay east of the house, excavated and back covered 1882 by Sir William St. John Hope. (See Arch Cant. 15, 1883; Hasted, IX; BOE Kent II 1983, 369).
Listing NGR: TR3263446960 (16)

<1> OS 25" 1957 (OS Card Reference). SKE48272.

<2> Medieval Religious Houses England and Wales 1953 166 (Knowles and Hadcock) (OS Card Reference). SKE46868.

<3> Arch Cant 15 1883 59-67 (WH St John Hope) (OS Card Reference). SKE34737.

<4> MHLG (2045/11/A) September 1960 24-5 (OS Card Reference). SKE46980.

<5> F1 ASP 20-MAY-64 (OS Card Reference). SKE42209.

<6> Medieval Religious Houses England and Wales 1971 185 189-90 (D Knowles and RA Hadcock) (OS Card Reference). SKE46870.

<7> VCH Kent 2 1926 169-172 (RC Fowler) (OS Card Reference). SKE50954.

<8> Arch Cant 76 1961 lvii (WC Harrison) (OS Card Reference). SKE35602.

<9> Arch 73 1922-23 132 139 plan (AW Clapham) (OS Card Reference). SKE34448.

<10> DOE(HHR) District of Dover 1987 13 (OS Card Reference). SKE41134.

<11> The Buildings of England North East and East Kent 1983 369 (J Newman) (OS Card Reference). SKE50189.

<12> Tanner's Notitia Monastica 1787 Kent 31 (Naismith) (OS Card Reference). SKE49806.

<13> English Monastories 1925 64 67 148 (AH Thompson) (OS Card Reference). SKE41654.

<14> Field report for monument TR 34 NW 7 - May, 1964 (Bibliographic reference). SKE5931.

<15> Canterbury Archaeological Trust, 1997, A Watching Brief at West Langdon Abbey, near Dover (Unpublished document). SKE7191.

<16> English Heritage, List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest (Map). SKE16160.

Sources and further reading