Exploring Kent's Past

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Monument details

Summary

The original Hall of the Archbishop's Palace was built by Lanfranc between 1075 and 1086. The Great Hall adjoining the north-west tower of the Cathedral was started by Archbishop Hubert Walter c. 1200 and was almost certainly the finest secular building in Canterbury. In size alone it was second only to Westminster Hall, and the style of its windows, based upon French models, heralds the beginning of bar tracery in England.

Monument Types

• GREAT HALL (Medieval to Post Medieval - 1075 AD to 1650 AD)

Full description

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The original Hall of the Archbishop's Palace was built by Lanfranc between 1075 and 1086 (certainly early in the period). The Great Hall adjoining the north-west tower of the Cathedral was started by Archbishop Hubert Walter c. 1200 and was almost certainly the finest secular building in Canterbury. Its importance cannot be overstated. In size alone it was second only to Westminster Hall, and the style of its windows, based upon French models, heralds the beginning of bar tracery in England.

The aisled hall was of eight bays and east of this there was an integrated private solar for the Archbishop, the width of a hall bay, which extended beyond the line of the south wall of the hall, built upona vaulted undercroft. The undercroft was supported on a row of 5 columns. A monumental porch was located against the fourth western bay. The Great Hall was 168 feet in length, nearly 70 feet in width and 40 feet in height. Including the Solar, the building is nearly 200 feet long and extends over the entire length of the Palace Precincts. The eastern two and a half bays of the south wall, in addition to the porch, adjacent westerm bay and the lower part of that beyond, constitute the standing remains and are incorporated into existing buildings.

Excavations by the Canterbury Archaeological trust in 1982 & 1985 uncovered the walls relating to the Great Hall and solar and recovered details of some of the elaborate stone furnishings such as pale olive green Reigate stone, Purbeck Marble and Caen stone, which were used to great effect in the overal design. The large porch had a stair turret in the south-east angle giving access to the upper chamber, this was subsequently removed by the insertion of two floors in the 17th century. The top of the porch had a later medieval crenellation. The area least known about the Great Hall is the west end. It is possible that this contained a chamber block with a great chamber over a buttery and pantry. However, the Parliamentary Survey of 1647 suggest that was not the case. In the north wall in the second bay from the west was a large doorway and this was certainly the main doorway to the large detached kitchen, a large square masonry building to the north.

The Great Hall due to its vast size, was used for several great occassions, starting with the Translation of Bekcket's festivities in 1220 when many important guests would have been entertained there. In 1299 a huge wedding feast lasting four days was held there after Edward I married Margaret of France, in the Cathdral by Archbishop Winchelsey. In 1313 the session of the King's Justices, called the Eyre of Kent, was held there. The last of these great occassions was probably Queen Elizabeth's I birthday party on 7th September 1573, when Archbishop Parker gave her and the court a great banquet in the Great hall.

The Great Hall was mostly demolished in the mid seventeenth century c. 1650 and a sunken garden created, however the porch was saved and a new small building was constructed to its rear. The porch suvives today as does the north wall where the door to the Kitchen can be seen. The east wall was demolished in c. 1790. (1-3)

Part of the north wall of the 13th century Great Hall was excavated during a watching brief at Palace Street, Canterbury. This excavation uncovered wall fabric formed of coursed flints and chalk, ragstone, and Caen stone rubble. (1)

Willis, R., 1868, 'The Architectural History of the Conventual Buildings of the Monastery of Christchurch in Canterbury' (Article in serial). SKE30206.

Rady, J., 1982, Archbishop's Palace (Article in serial). SKE30205.

Blockley, K., Sparks, M. & Tatton-Brown, T., 1997, Canterbury Cathedral Nave, Archaeology, History and Architecture (Monograph). SKE29723.

Canterbury Archaeological Trust, 1999, An Archaeological Watching Brief at 48 Palace Street, Canterbury (Unpublished document). SKE55610.

Sources and further reading

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