Exploring Kent's Past

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Monument details

Summary

The north west tower of St Augustine's Abbey Church. The construction of two west towers instead of Scolland's plan for the west front appears to have been the conception of Abbot Wido. Excavations have shown that the north tower or Ethelbert's Tower was begun during Wido's abbacy but it is likely that this was not finished until early in the time of Hugh de Fleury (1108-1126). The south half of the tower survived substantially until 1823 when it collapsed. A surviving drawing of 1798 shows that the lower part of the tower corresponded to the new hieght of the nave: above that it rose clear for at least two further stages flanking the gable wall. At its external corners the tower had massive buttresses. The main walls and buttresses were richly decorated with motifs found in English and Norman buildings of the decades around 1100. A number of arches also showed an Anglo-Saxon influence.

Monument Types

• TOWER (TOWER, Medieval to Post Medieval - 1087 AD to 1822 AD)

Full description

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[TR 15435777] The Ethelbert Tower. (1) Ethelbert's Tower [NR] (Remains of) (NAT). (2) Additional references. (3-4) Remains excavated in 1955-1957. (5) The north-west tower of St. Augustine's Abbey Church, known as 'the Ethelbert Tower' for reasons unclear, owes its survival to having beenretained by Henry VIII at the S end of his 'palace' (TR 15 NE 349). Dating evidence for the tower survives in the form of column bases at ground level and gallery level, of c1100-1130. (6) St Ethelbert's Tower, intact in 1655, N half fell between then and 1722. Most of remainder, except lower part, fell on 16th Oct 1822, the surviving part being demolished as unsafe soon after. Dated c1120-30, the tower was among the most ornate and elaborate examples of enriched Romanesque work in the country. (7) Ethelbert Tower, usually dated as late as 1120-30, probably earlier, c1100 at least up to eaves level, if not to full height. (See Illustration Card for drawings). (8) Additional reference and plan. (See Illustration Card). (9) N side of Ethelbert Tower severely damaged by earthquake in 1692. (10) Historic England archive material (11-12)

<1> FI ASP 02-JAN-65 (OS Card Reference). SKE43414.

<2> OS 1/500 1874 (OS Card Reference). SKE48131.

<3> Arch J 11 1854 81 (Le Keux) (OS Card Reference). SKE36529.

<4> Monasticon Anglicanum, Caley's edn, vol 1 120 (W Dugdale) (OS Card Reference). SKE47325.

<5> Md Arch 22 1978 26 27 36 plan (A Saunders) (OS Card Reference). SKE46618.

<6> Md Art and Archit of Cant before 1220 1982 121 124 (H Woods) (OS Card Reference). SKE46654.

<7> St Augustine's Abbey, DOE Handbook, 1955 7 18 19 20 fig (A Clapham) (OS Card Reference). SKE49591.

<8> JBAA 140 1987 88-111 pls XI-XV (JP McAleer) (OS Card Reference). SKE44874.

<9> St Augustine's Abbey Rpt on Excavs 1960-78 14-15 plan KAS Mon IV 1988 (D Sherlock H Woods) (OS Card Reference). SKE49587.

<10> St Augustine's Abbey Eng Heritage Handbook 1988 9 13 (M Sparks) (OS Card Reference). SKE49581.

<11> English Heritage, Register of Scheduled Monuments (Scheduling record). SKE16191.

<12> Historic England, Archive material associated with r Ethelberts Tower at St Augustine's Abbey (Archive). SKE54635.

Sources and further reading

Related records