Monument record TQ 83 SW 4 - Site of Hemsted Manor, Benenden
Summary
Location
Grid reference | TQ 8012 3374 (point) FCE |
---|---|
Map sheet | TQ83SW |
County | KENT |
District | TUNBRIDGE WELLS, KENT |
Civil Parish | BENENDEN, TUNBRIDGE WELLS, KENT |
Map
Type and Period (2)
Full Description
Hemsted, a 16th c. moated manor house which Hasted (1798) says 'had been lately altered and modernized and the moat filled up.' Finally demolished when the present house was erected c. 1862. (1) House and large near-rectangular moat shown at TQ 80123374. (2) No trace of house on moat survives: the site is covered by the gardens of Benenden School. (3) TQ 801338 Hempsted, Benenden, is listed in the county checklist of moated sites in Kent - December 1979. (4) Water cistern - dated early C19th discovered artefacts taken from moat bottom (outside cistern) included fine china, coarsewares and glass. (5) The foundations of Hemsted have been located beneath the lawns outside Benenden School Hall. The original manor house, greatly enlarged and surrounded by a moat became an elaborate Tudor mansion. In the eighteenth century, its wings and moat were removed and the main block was converted into a Georgian-styled residence with a back court for domestic offices and a separate yard at the side for stabling and a full complement of farm buildings. Almost the entire complex was demolished in 1860 when the site was landscaped to create a garden. The use of a resistivity meter and probing have shown that a network of foundations remain buried below the turf, most of it not available for excavation. In a large shrubbery bed, part of the house wall, in brick masonry 1.30m thick has been exposed together with the base of a Tudor chimney projecting on the outside of the wall and incorporating a remaining fireplace. (6)
<1> Parish of Benenden 1889 193-7 (Haslewood) (OS Card Reference). SKE48492.
<2> Surv of Benenden dated 1777 by Joshua Hodskinson. In possession of Parish Clerk (OS Card Reference). SKE49757.
<3> F1 AC 29.04.63 (OS Card Reference). SKE41846.
<4> Moated Sites Res Gp Rep 6 1979 46 (OS Card Reference). SKE47266.
<5> Arch Cant 91 1975 204-5 (M C Lebon) (OS Card Reference). SKE36049.
<6> Field report for monument TQ 83 SW 4 - April, 1963 (Bibliographic reference). SKE4337.
<7> Arch Cant 95 1979 303-4 (M B Lebon) (OS Card Reference). SKE36227.
Sources/Archives (7)
- <1> SKE48492 OS Card Reference: Parish of Benenden 1889 193-7 (Haslewood).
- <2> SKE49757 OS Card Reference: Surv of Benenden dated 1777 by Joshua Hodskinson. In possession of Parish Clerk.
- <3> SKE41846 OS Card Reference: F1 AC 29.04.63.
- <4> SKE47266 OS Card Reference: Moated Sites Res Gp Rep 6 1979 46.
- <5>XY SKE36049 OS Card Reference: Arch Cant 91 1975 204-5 (M C Lebon). [Mapped feature: #27124 moated site, ]
- <6> SKE4337 Bibliographic reference: Field report for monument TQ 83 SW 4 - April, 1963.
- <7> SKE36227 OS Card Reference: Arch Cant 95 1979 303-4 (M B Lebon).
Finds (0)
Protected Status/Designation
Related Monuments/Buildings (0)
Related Events/Activities (2)
- Intrusive Event: Benenden School (EKE5498)
- Intrusive Event: HEMSTED HOUSE (Ref: EI 21408) (EKE4415)
Record last edited
Aug 23 2021 1:47PM