The Great Kitchen was built as an accompanyment to the Great Hall. Its building was probably commenced in tandem with the Great Hall under Archbishop Hubert Walter in c. 1200 and completed, after a considerable delay in the building programme, by Archbishop Stephen Langton in c. 1220.

The Great Kitchen was a large square detached building measuring some 50 feet by 50 feet with large corner buttresses to the NE and SE corners, situated to the north of the Great Hall, access from the Hall was via a doorway at the west end of the Hall's north wall. It was detached from the Great Hall as a precautionary measure against fire risks, kitchens being notorious for such things. Records show that the Great Kitchen was subject to repairs in a Survey of Archbishop Islip in 1349.

In 1543, a great fire broke out in the Palace, possibly starting in the Kitchen as feared. The fire destroyed the Great Kitchen and several other buildings within the Palace precincts and several people were killed, the Great Hall however escaped any damage. Subsequent to the fire, between 1560 and 1563 the ruins of the Great Kitchen were removed and a new building complex built. This consisted of a smaller kitchens, a brewhouse, larder, bakehouse, buttery, etc. The Brewhouse being situated partially over the site of the former Great Kitchen. The new brick-built east walls and the 1560's roof of the new complex still survive.

An evaluation in 2001-2003 revealed a substantial wall thought to represent part of the external wall of the Great Kitchen. The wall was constructed within a N-S cut over 1.6m in depth and 1.2m in width. (3)

<1> Rady, J., Tatton-Brown, T. & Bowen, J., 1991, The Archbishop's Palace, Canterbury (Article in serial). SKE30203.

<2> Willis, R., 1868, 'The Architectural History of the Conventual Buildings of the Monastery of Christchurch in Canterbury' (Article in serial). SKE30206.

<3> Canterbury Archaeological Trust, 2004, King’s School, Canterbury, Proposed Music School: Further Archaeological Evaluation (Unpublished document). SKE56124.