Exploring Kent's Past

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

Monument details

Summary

The moat is in good condition. The central portion is occupied by a grass tennis court and a flower bed but no building foundations have been discovered.

Monument Types

• MOAT (MOAT, Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)

Full description

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[TR 31285680] Moat [NR] (1) Homestead moat at Grove Manor, Woodnesborough. (2) According to Hasted the Manor of Grove can be traced from the time of Edward II. The moat is in good condition. The central portion is occupied by a grass tennis court and a flower bed but no building foundations have been discovered. Published 1/2500 survey correct. (3) TR 313567 Grove Manor listed as a medieval moated site by the Moated Sites Research Group. (4) Listed. (5)

From the National Heritage List for England:

Details:

The monument includes a square, water-filled moat and its internal island which together formed the site of a medieval manor house. The moat measures typically 7m across and has maximum dimensions of ca.45m north-west/south- east by 50m north-east/south-west. The surface of the moat island, on which would have stood the manor house and ancillary buildings, undulates subtly suggesting the presence of archaeological remains. The manor of Grove has been in existence since the time of Edward II, during whose reign the moated manor house is most likely to have been built. The modern wooden bridge providing access onto the island, together with its footings, and the concrete steps on the north-eastern outer edge of the moat, are excluded from the scheduling, but the ground beneath is included.

Reasons for Designation:

Around 6,000 moated sites are known in England. They consist of wide ditches, often or seasonally water-filled, partly or completely enclosing one or more islands of dry ground on which stood domestic or religious buildings. In some cases the islands were used for horticulture. The majority of moated sites served as prestigious aristocratic and seigneurial residences with the provision of a moat intended as a status symbol rather than a practical military defence. The peak period during which moated sites were built was between about 1250 and 1350 and by far the greatest concentration lies in central and eastern parts of England. However, moated sites were built throughout the medieval period, are widely scattered throughout England and exhibit a high level of diversity in their forms and sizes. They form a significant class of medieval monument and are important for the understanding of the distribution of wealth and status in the countryside. Many examples provide conditions favourable to the survival of organic remains.

The moated site at Grove Farm survives well and retains considerable archaeological potential for the recovery of evidence of the development of the manor both from the island and from the moat.

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

<2> VCH Kent 1 1908 428 (IC Gould) (OS Card Reference). SKE50904.

<3> F1 FGA 16-JUN-64 (OS Card Reference). SKE42928.

<4> History of Kent x 1800 127 130 (E Hasted) (OS Card Reference). SKE44141.

<5> Moated Sites Research Group Report 6 1979 48 (CJ Bond) (OS Card Reference). SKE47308.

<6> Arch Cant 93 1977 222 (T Tutton Brown) (OS Card Reference). SKE36152.

<7> Field report for monument TR 35 NW 42 - June, 1964 (Bibliographic reference). SKE6061.

Sources and further reading