Otford Palace

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

From Anglo-Saxon times till 1537 the palace was one of the chain of houses belonging to the archbishops of Canterbury. The Palace was rebuilt around 1515 by Archbishop Wareham to rival that of Wolsey's at Hampton Court. Henry VIII forced Archbishop Thomas Cranmer to surrender the palace in 1537. When Henry died the palace fell into ruin. The principal surviving remains are the North-West Tower, the lower gallery, now converted to cottages and a part of the Great Gatehouse. There are further remains on private land, and a section of the boundary wall can be seen in Bubblestone Road. The entire site, of about four acres is designated as an ancient monument. There are many old buildings in the village, including a wall in St Bartholomew's Church dating from c1050, making it the oldest standing wall in the area.