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 […]
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 […]
St Leonard's Tower
An early and well-preserved example of a small free-standing Norman tower keep, surviving almost to its original height. It was probably built c. 1080 by Gundulf, Bishop of Rochester, and takes its name from a chapel of St Leonard which once stood nearby. Mr. Clark states that St. Leonard’s Tower is interesting as being one […]
Rochester Castle
Strategically placed astride the London Road, guarding an important crossing of the River Medway, this imposing fortress has a complex history of destruction and rebuilding. Its mighty Norman tower-keep of Kentish ragstone was built c. 1127 by William of Corbeil, Archbishop of Canterbury, with the encouragement of Henry I. Consisting of three floors above a […]
Eynsford Castle
The substantial stone walls of a very early Norman ‘enclosure castle’, begun c.1085-7 and unusually little altered by later building works. This rare survival stands in an attractive village setting, not far from Lullingstone Roman Villa. This place is a little S. of Dartford, in the valley of the Darenth, where the ancient road from […]