Link to printer-friendly page

It should not be assumed that this site is publicly accessible and it may be on private property. Do not trespass.

Monument details

HER Number:TQ 67 SW 233
Type of record:Monument
Name:Manorial Complex (Site of), Gravesend

Summary

Site of a manorial complex built between 1362 and 1368 by Edward III. The complex consisted of a hall and king's chamber, a chapel, a gatehouse, two houses next to the gate and as ancillary buildings a kitchen, three houses with latrines, two ovens and a bakery, two granges, a bridge and a wharf. A wall demolished in 1951 ipossibly may have been part of this site. T


Grid Reference:TQ 6470 7441
Map Sheet:TQ67SW
Parish:GRAVESEND, GRAVESHAM, KENT

Monument Types

  • BAKEHOUSE (Demolished, Medieval - 1368 AD to 1539 AD? (between))
  • GATEHOUSE (Demolished, Medieval to Post Medieval - 1368 AD? to 1739 AD? (between))
  • GREAT HALL (Demolished, Medieval - 1368 AD? to 1388 AD? (between))
  • MANOR HOUSE (Demolished, Medieval - 1368 AD to 1390 AD? (between))
  • PRIVY HOUSE (Medieval - 1368 AD to 1388 AD?)

Full description

If you do not understand anything on this page please contact us.

In 1951 a section of wall was recorded which is believed to be part of a medieval manorial complex. The wall section was made up of a mixture of Kentish ragstone, chalk with some blocks of Reigate stone. The mortar was soft and powdery. There were no flints. The wall was demolished in 1955 when the whole area was redeveloped. A short length of return wall was reported discovered in the basement of a shop fronting West Street (to the north) but was never recorded and the building has now been demolished.

Site of a manorial complex built between 1362 and 1368 by Edward lII. The complex consisted of a hall and king's chamber, a chapel, a gatehouse, two houses next to the gate and as ancillary buildings a kitchen, three houses with latrines, two ovens and a bakery, two granges, a bridge and a wharf. In 1383 the manor was granted to the trustees of the convent of St. Mary Graces on Tower Hill for making a dormitory cloister and other buildings. It appears tha the gatehouse and some of the other buildings survived. A tall three storey tower building in the area of Chapel Lane can be seen on a 18th century view of Gravesend. A late 18th century historian describs a decroative doorway of ancient date in Chapel Lane. There is no trace of this doorway or tower in later descriptions or photgraphs, but the name "Chapel Lane" is believed to have originated from the fact that it led to the main gate of the manorial site and the door of St. Georges Church the site of an eariler chapel. Towered gate houses were also popular in the 14th century.

The location of the manorial buildings is not known, but the road names "New Court Lane" next to the wall found in 1951 and "Chapel Lane" suggest proximity to the manor. If so then the complex would not have stood further north than West Street.(1-2)


Hiscock, R. H., 1990, "King John's Palace", Gravesend: Some Notes on a Riverside Edwardian Royal Manor House, Arch Cant CVII p 193-205 (Article in serial). SKE11947.

Hiscock, R. H., 1990, "King John's Palace", Gravesend: Some Notes on a Riverside Edwardian Royal Manor House, Arch Cant CVII p 193-205 (Article in serial). Ske11947.

<1> Canterbury Archaeological Trust, 1998, High Street, Gravesend: Site Inspection Report & Documentary Study (Unpublished document). SWX6737.

Sources and further reading

Cross-ref. Source description
---Article in serial: Hiscock, R. H.. 1990. "King John's Palace", Gravesend: Some Notes on a Riverside Edwardian Royal Manor House. Vol CVII Pages 193 - 205. Arch Cant CVII p 193-205.
<1>Unpublished document: Canterbury Archaeological Trust. 1998. High Street, Gravesend: Site Inspection Report & Documentary Study.