Old Walmer Court

Has been described as a Possible Fortified Manor House

There are masonry ruins/remnants remains

NameOld Walmer Court
Alternative NamesWalmer Old Castle; Walmer Hall
Historic CountryKent
Modern AuthorityKent
1974 AuthorityKent
Civil ParishWalmer

The ruined remains of a moated, semi-fortified manor house adjacent to the parish church. Pottery discovered during excavation work dates from 1150-75. The upper floor of the former first floor hall house is now fragmentary, but the two undercrofts below survive. The building is roughly square in plan with corner turrets, three of which survive. An external stair led up the west side of the house into a forebuilding at first floor level. The inner hall or chamber is narrower than the outer hall and may have been divided into two rooms, as was the corresponding undercroft below. A moat originally enclosed both the manor house and the nearby church. (PastScape)

The remains comprise a roofless rectangular structure, 16.5 m by 15 m standing two storeys to a maximum height of 8 m. The walling of flint rubble is 1.2 - 1.4 m thick. The building is sub-divided into three unequal compartments; the entrance being at the NW corner. There are no surviving architectural features, but the walling is identical to that of the nearby St Mary's church, which has been dated to c1120 with EE additions (PastScape–Field Investigators Comments–F1 ASP 21-JUL-64)

Gatehouse Comments

This is a thin walled 'proto-keep' with turret on each corner. There is evidence that a banding of finer stone (presumable Caen) has been robbed from the structure. When the original flint work was harled and limewashed this band of golden stone would have been striking. A fine and important building rather overlooked because of the nearby Walmer Castle artillery fort of Henry VIII, home of the Wardens of the Cinque Ports. Sometimes dated as C13 but does seem to be early C12.

- Philip Davis

This site is a scheduled monument protected by law

Not Listed

Historic England (PastScape) Defra or Monument number(s)
County Historic Environment Record
OS Map Grid ReferenceTR367503
Latitude51.203369140625
Longitude1.38718998432159
Eastings636710
Northings150360
HyperLink HyperLink HyperLink

No photos available. If you can provide pictures please contact Castlefacts

Most of the sites or buildings recorded in this web site are NOT open to the public and permission to visit a site must always be sought from the landowner or tenant.

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Books

  • Philp, Brian, 2011, The Norman Fortified Manor-house at Walmer (Kent Archaeological Rescue Unit: Kent Minor Site Series 21)
  • Newman, John, 1983, Buildings of England: North east and east Kent (Harmondsworth) p. 489
  • Guy, John, 1980, Kent Castles (Meresborough Books) p. 243
  • Renn, D.F., 1973 (2 edn.), Norman Castles of Britain (London: John Baker) p. 338
  • Gould, I. Chalkley, 1908, in Page, Wm (ed), VCH Kent Vol. 1 p. 435 online copy
  • Elvin, C.R., 1890, Records of Walmer
  • Elvin, C.R., 1864, History of Walmer and Walmer Castle p. 15-16, 41
  • Hasted, Edward, 1800 (2edn), The history and topographical survey of the county of Kent Vol. 10 p. 23-29 online transcription

Journals

  • Tatton-Brown, T., 1977, 'Investigations and Excavations during the Year' Archaeologia Cantiana Vol. 93 p. 222 online copy
  • Webster and Cherry, 1975, Medieval Archaeology Vol. 19 p. 251 online copy
  • Weston, R., 'Schools visit fortified manor house at Walmer' Kent Archaeological Review Vol. 39 p. 271 online copy
  • Mynott, E., 1974, Kent Archaeological review Vol. 38 p. 226 online copy
  • Rigold, S.E., 1966, Archaeological Journal Vol. 126 p. 215-7