There is a gateway leading to Nettlestead Court with a 14th c. room above it. (1) The lower storey of the gateway is of the local ragstone and carries an upper storey of timber framing. On the north side of the entrance there is a room for a porter with a narrow doorway the shouldered arch of which suggests an early 14th cent. date. The great gates have gone but the hooks still remain. The room above has a 14th cent. roof with tie beams supporting tall king posts with moulded capitals. The king posts are octagonal but the capitals square. The west window, of two lights, retains 14th cent. tracery in the heads. (2) TQ 68435206. The gateway, as described by Auth. 2 is in good condition. (3) The gateway was damaged by fire at the same time as the Barn was destroyed. [Report and photo of fire in The Times of 19 April 1962]. (4) The gateway remains as described Auth. 2: the fire damage of 1962 was only superficial. (5) TQ 681521 Nettlestead Gatehouse, 14th/15th ? cent. Scheduled No. 141a. (6) Gatehouse at Nettlestead Place, Grade I. 16th cent. (7) Gatehouse, Grade I. 14th cent. (8)(9) Additional bibliography. (10) Descheduled 28.2.97 (11)

Description from record TQ 65 SE 113:
The following text is from the original listed building designation:
NETTLESTEAD MAIDSTONE ROAD TQ 65 SE (East side) 1/8 Nettlestead Place/ 25-7-52 The Gatehouse GV I
Gatehouse. Early C14. Ground floor roughly coursed ragstone, first floor timber framed with rendered infilling. Plain tile roof. 2 storeys, ground floor tall. West side (towards road) jettied, with brackets flanking carriage entrance only. First floor apparently subdivided by principal posts into three timber-framed bays, each with central stud and pair of tension braces (except west side of north bay, which has one brace). Broadly-spaced studding and arch braces to gable ends. Steeply-pitched hipped roof with gablets. Early C14 two-light first-floor window under eaves to centre of west side, one light each side of central stud, each light with tracery of mouchettes which suggests former subdivision into two almost ogee-headed lights. Tall carriage entrance occupies south half of ground floor, the west side of it having moulded ashlar jambs each with broach stop, chamfered plinth, and corbelled head supporting wooden bressumer. Hinges for double doors immediately behind jambs. At east end, north jamb is of unchamfered dressed stone, and south jamb is formed by buttress kith single offset. Similar buttress to north-east end of gatehouse. Under carriage entrance, set towards centre of north wall, a low and very narrow chamfered stone doorway with Caernavon-arched head gives access to ground-floor room. Interior: not inspected. Ground- floor room subsequently subdivided into two storeys, with two-light north window. Carriage entrance has plain-chamfered axial beam of heavy scantling and broad close-set joists; this arrangement appears to be continued to north end of gatehouse, providing floor for single first-floor room. Roof said to have two octagonal crown posts, each with square, scroll-moulded capital. Mid-to-late C15 barn of eight timber-framed bays adjoined south end of gatehouse until burnt down in 1962. (S.E. Rigold, Some Major Kentish Timber Barns, in Archaeologia Cantiana Vol. LXXXI, 1966. Country Life 16th October 1958.) Listing NGR: TQ6854552056 (14)

<1> Country Life 3 2884 April 1952 1261 letter photos (C T Spurling) (OS Card Reference). SKE39425.

<2> Country Life 124 3222 Oct 16th 1958 835 photos (A Oswald) (OS Card Reference). SKE39395.

<3> F1 EG 23.06.59 (OS Card Reference). SKE42870.

<4> The Times 19-04-1962 (OS Card Reference). SKE50528.

<5> F2 CFW 12.02.64 (OS Card Reference). SKE43224.

<6> DOE (IAM) record from 3 November 1986 (OS Card Reference). SKE40764.

<7> MHLG Maidstone RD 2225/11/A October 1960 50 (OS Card Reference). SKE47135.

<8> DOE (HHR) District of Maidstone Kent 14 October 1987 7 (OS Card Reference). SKE40501.

<9> Arch Cant 81 1966 28 (S E Rigold) (OS Card Reference). SKE35723.

<10> Bldgs of Eng-West Kent and the Weald 1980 428 (J Newman) (OS Card Reference). SKE38174.

<11> Field report for monument TQ 65 SE 35 - June, 1959 (Bibliographic reference). SKE3437.

<12> Field report for monument TQ 65 SE 35 - February, 1964 (Bibliographic reference). SKE3438.

<13> Not applicable, SMR Kent uncatalogued index entry, Pers Comm EH to KCC 28.2.97 (Miscellaneous Material). SKE6440.

<14> English Heritage, List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest (Map). SKE16160.