Description

TR 13 NW STANFORD STONE STREET
(West side)

Westenhanger

3/101 Westenhanger Manor
27.8.52
GV I

Castle or fortified house, now partly ruinous. C14, early and late C16,
and late C18 or early C19, restored in 1980s. C14 walls of coursed ragstone.
Front elevation of house red brick in Flemish bond, left gable end and rear
elevation red brick, largely in header bond. Plain tile roof. Rectangular
plan (courtyard 130 feet across), with circular bastions to west and north-
east corners, and rectangular bastion to south-east. Rectangular tower to
centre of each side to north, south and east. Gateway to centre of west
side. Formerly continuous range of buildings to each side of courtyard;
C16 fragments remain to north-west corner. Early C16 L-plan house to north-
east corner, (probably for Sir Edward Poynings before 1521) with east
curtain wall as its long right wall; main range at right-angles to wall, rear
range parallel to it between main range and north-east bastion. Part of
house, including front elevation, rebuilt in late C18. House: front (south)
elevation: 2 storeys and attics on chamfered rock-faced ashlar plinth. Plat
band, not extending to corners. Dentilled brick eaves cornice. Right gable
end formerly with crow-stepped gable (shown in a print). Hipped roof, right
hip returning. Rear stack to right, to junction of main range and wing.
2 hipped dormers. Regular 7-window front of recessed 24-pane sashes with
splayed brick voussoirs. Panelled door under third window from right. Late
C20 porch. Rear (north) elevation of main range: chamfered stone plinth.
Early C16 first floor window of two round-headed chamfered brick lights.
Broad blocked early C16 rectangular ground-floor window with chamfered brick
architrave and moulded brick cornice. Moulded stone plinth continues along
west elevation of rear wing (with C19 red brick in Flemish bond above)
returning to west at north end along base of a short section rebuilt in late
C20. Right return elevation (east): battered stone plinth. Eaves of rear
wing slightly lower than mainrange. Narrow 2-storey brick section towards
centre of rear wing, probably in place of a removed garderobe shute.
Partly blocked rectangular early C16 six-light stone mullion window to
first floor of main range, with hollow-chamfered mullions and round-headed
lights. Single cinquefoil-headed light with square hoodmould towards north
end of first floor of rear wing. Later one, two and three-light leaded
casements to both floors. North-east bastion: converted to davecote,
probably in early C16. Conical plain-tiled roof. Chamfered 2-light first-
floor window to south-west. Three small casement windows to moat side of
ground floor. Ruins: Largely C14. Curtain wall continues south from east
end of main range of house, with north jamb of doubly-chamfered splayed
first-floor window belonging to range considerably taller than present house,
and jamb of another to ground floor morticed for bars. Base of stone tower
projecting east:from centre of east curtain wall. South end of wall non-
extant. Base of rectangular south-east corner bastion set at angle to
corner. South wall and south range of courtyard non-extant. East half of
south-west corner bastion remains to height of about 2 metres;, with base of
blocked plain-chamfered north-east doorway. West wall continuous between
south-west bastion and west gateway. North and south walls of west gateway,
with 4 pairs of attached semi-octagonal stone shafts with moulded capitals
and evidence for ribbed tunnel vault above them. Base of portcullis groove
to west. Hollow-chamfered round-headed doorway with broach stops to west
end of north wall, between gateway and north half of west range. West
curtain wall continues north from gateway, standing to height of about 4
metres with recess, possibly for brick fireplace about 3 metres from
gateway. Adjacent to north (formerly separated by wall of room) a small
4-centred-arched moulded brick fireplace with herringboned brick back-
plate. North-west bastion with deeply-splayed west window or loop-light
and pointed-arched doorway to east. Break in north wall to east of bastion.
North end of stone east wall of west range remains, with base of hollow-
chamfered brick window and with 4-centred arched hollow-chamfered stone
doorway with broach stops. Chamfered stone plinth descends each side of
doorway. East wall continues to south at height of about 1 metre, joining
east end of west gateway. West end of north curtain wall non-extant. Wall
resumes to west of central north tower and continues, at varied height, to
north-east bastion. North tower of 3 low storeys with ledges in wall
marking floors. Loop lights to north, east and west of each floor and
larger opening to south. Garderobe shute within east wall. Doorway to
south, now with brick jambs. Interior of house: C15 chamfered brick
fireplace with four-centred arched wooden bressumer with carved spandrels
to east end first-floor room of main range. Staircase, possibly C16, to
rear of rear wing. C18 open-well staircase with turned balusters, moulded
handrail and shaped cheeks, to main range. Corridor to ground floor of
rear range with 3 rectangular wooden doorways with rectangular leaded lights
to rooms. Staggered butt purlin roof to rear wing. Dovecote (first floor
of north-east bastion) entered from first floor of rear wing by 4-centred
arched brick doorway. Room encircled by 15 tiers of ledged plastered brick
nesting boxes.
Licence to crenellate granted 1343 to John de Kiriel. Extensive work by
Sir Edward Poynings before 1521 and by Sir Thomas Smythe 1585-91 (little
of Smith's work remains). Castle largely demolished in 1701 for building
materials. Moated site.
Scheduled Ancient Monument (uninhabited parts) See also item 3/102.
(R.C.H.H., plan of house 1982, in National Monuments Record. J. Newman,
B.O.E. Series, North-East and East Kent, 1983).

Listing NGR: TR1278936737

External Links

• Historic England Listing

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

Recommended Books

• 
  Lancashire: Manchester and the South-East (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Drawing up a Local Listed Building Consent Order: Historic England Advice Note 6
• 
  Norfolk 1: Norwich and North-East: Norwich and North-east v. 1 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  The green guide for historic buildings: how to improve the environmental performance of listed and historic buildings
• 
  For the Record
• 
  Gloucestershire 1: The Cotswolds: Cotswolds Pt. 1 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)