Set in tranquil grounds adjoining a riverside village, this rare example of an Elizabethan artillery fort was begun in 1559 and redeveloped in 1599-1601, to protect warships moored at Chatham dockyards. Despite a brave attempt, it entirely failed to do so in 1667, when the Dutch sailed past it to burn or capture the English […]
Tonge Castle
Excavations of the moated habitation known as “Tonge Castle” were carried out in 1963-4 by the Sittingbourne and Swale Archaeological Group. The rectangular earthwork, previously thought to be a possible motte and bailey castle, is largely destroyed by footpath embankments, hillslipping associated with cultivation, and flooding by a large pond. Tong is near Teynham, in […]
Tonbridge Castle
Motte and bailey castle, first mentioned in 1080. Motte surmounted by the remains of a shell keep probably of 11th century date. Gatehouse of circa 1300 and remains of the bailey wall of circa 1080 are also visible. The remains are incorporated into a Municipal Public Park. Among the crowd that followed the leading and […]
Thurnham Castle
Thurnham Castle crowns the point of a steep spur of the North Downs, which commands the Maidstone-Sittingbourne road and the Pilgrim’s Way to Canterbury. It is a motte and bailey castle with gatehouse and curtain walls in flint and traces of an oval or polygonal shell keep. The bailey was divided into an inner and […]
Sutton Valence Castle
The ruins of a small 12th-century Norman keep, with panoramic views over the Weald. Sutton Valence was another of the fortresses placed near the important road running from Rochester towards Winchelsea, the scanty remains of which are upon the hill near the church. Philipott says that William de Valence, Earl of Pembroke, was lord of […]