Committee Round-Up
KAS Membership Committee Visit to Provenders
Although the visit realised all its advertised potential, what made it such a memorable occasion was the intense enthusiasm of 62 members appreciating the opportunity to see a Kentish home developed over seven centuries. Moreover, a number of long-standing members were making their first personal contact with the Society. It was good to meet them; quoting from a well known phrase, our members 'are important to us', because without them there is no Society.
Being such a large gathering, we were shown around in three groups. Each group had a share of Princess Olga herself, with her first-hand knowledge of her family and growing up in the house. Hardline KAS members peered into the nooks and crannies of the timber framing, absorbed in what could be seen and contemplating what might be hidden. Much will be revealed as restoration continues and it is hoped that the Society will be kept informed.
A footpath walk led to an unrestored Kentish country pub, where the delicious tea maintained the enthusiasm of the afternoon.
ABOVE: Princess Olga shows KAS members around the 14th century hall.
ABOVE: Rosamund’s Tower, at Westenhanger, partially restored by the present owners.
KAS Historic Buildings Committee Presentation at the KAS Annual General Meeting
At the Society’s AGM on Saturday 17 May, the Committee Chairman, Christopher Proudfoot, gave a brief account of the Historic Buildings Committee, explaining how it differs from the CPRE committee of the same name, and giving an improbable-sounding list of relevant buildings from castles to airports.
He recalled the 2006 and 2007 Annual Conferences, and drew particular attention to the recent publication of Roger Cockett’s Historical Assessment and Survey of Old Buildings. The six copies he had with him were snapped up instantly! Christopher concluded by reporting the Committee’s preference for the existing format of Arch. Cant.
Visit to Westenhanger Castle and Barns
Approximately 50 KAS members made up the group that visited Westenhanger Castle and Barns on the afternoon of Tuesday, 27 May. After welcoming everyone, Graham Forge summarised the development of Westenhanger, starting from the first record of a manor on the site in 1035, up to the Forge family purchasing Westenhanger in 1997. He explained that over the last 11 years a small team, including a specialist architect, surveyor, archaeologist and conservators, has been working closely with English Heritage on a programme of repair and consolidation.
Luckily, after the very wet bank holiday weekend, the weather was fine for the two-hour guided tour around the site. The group were able to see the impressive curtain wall and towers of the 14th Century quadrangular manor house, the remains of which are now a Scheduled Ancient Monument. In its heyday this building was the second largest dwelling in Kent after Knole. However, by the late 17th Century the fortunes of Westenhanger had changed for the worse, and in 1701 much of the stone of the curtain wall was taken down and sold. Since the Forge family took over there have been ten phases of restoration and conservation work so far. After an initial assessment, extensive repairs, consolidation and, in some places, rebuilding have been meticulously carried out. Where necessary, the orientation of individual stones was recorded so that they could be put back in the right place.
While being taken around the perimeter of the Castle, members of the group were intrigued by several rectangular pits close by the East Stour stream. These contain the mechanism of a disused hydraulic ram pump. For those, like the writer, not having heard of a ram pump before, it employs water pressure to elevate water to a higher level. This 19th century example used to pump water from the stream right up to the manor house.
Outside the western range of the Castle stand two medieval barns, both of which are constructed largely of ragstone with galleting. The smaller, although longer of the two at 140 feet, was built in 1520. This barn does not have any large wagon doorways. Instead, along its south wall ...
KAS Membership Committee Visit to Provenders
Although the visit realised all its advertised potential, what made it such a memorable occasion was the intense enthusiasm of 62 members appreciating the opportunity to see a Kentish home developed over seven centuries. Moreover, a number of long-standing members were making their first personal contact with the Society. It was good to meet them; quoting from a well-known phrase, our members 'are important to us', because without them there is no Society.
Being such a large gathering, we were shown around in three groups. Each group had a share of Princess Olga herself, with her first-hand knowledge of her family and growing up in the house. Hardline KAS members peered into the nooks and crannies of the timber framing, absorbed in what could be seen and contemplating what might be hidden. Much will be revealed as restoration continues and it is hoped that the Society will be kept informed.
A footpath walk led to an unrestored Kentish country pub, where the delicious tea maintained the enthusiasm of the afternoon.
ABOVE: Princess Olga shows KAS members around the 14th century hall.
ABOVE: Rosamund’s Tower, at Westenhanger, partially restored by the present owners.
KAS Historic Buildings Committee Presentation at the KAS Annual General Meeting
At the Society’s AGM on Saturday 17 May, the Committee Chairman, Christopher Proudfoot, gave a brief account of the Historic Buildings Committee, explaining how it differs from the CPRE committee of the same name, and giving an improbable-sounding list of relevant buildings from castles to airports.
He recalled the 2006 and 2007 Annual Conferences, and drew particular attention to the recent publication of Roger Cockett’s Historical Assessment and Survey of Old Buildings. The six copies he had with him were snapped up instantly! Christopher concluded by reporting the Committee’s preference for the existing format of Arch. Cant.
Visit to Westenhanger Castle and Barns
Approximately 50 KAS members made up the group that visited Westenhanger Castle and Barns on the afternoon of Tuesday, 27 May. After welcoming everyone, Graham Forge summarised the development of Westenhanger, starting from the first record of a manor on the site in 1035, up to the Forge family purchasing Westenhanger in 1997. He explained that over the last 11 years a small team, including a specialist architect, surveyor, archaeologist and conservators, has been working closely with English Heritage on a programme of repair and consolidation.
Luckily, after the very wet bank holiday weekend, the weather was fine for the two-hour guided tour around the site. The group were able to see the impressive curtain wall and towers of the 14th Century quadrangular manor house, the remains of which are now a Scheduled Ancient Monument. In its heyday this building was the second largest dwelling in Kent after Knole. However, by the late 17th Century the fortunes of Westenhanger had changed for the worse, and in 1701 much of the stone of the curtain wall was taken down and sold. Since the Forge family took over there have been ten phases of restoration and conservation work so far. After an initial assessment, extensive repairs, consolidation and, in some places, rebuilding have been meticulously carried out. Where necessary, the orientation of individual stones was recorded so that they could be put back in the right place.
While being taken around the perimeter of the Castle, members of the group were intrigued by several rectangular pits close by the East Stour stream. These contain the mechanism of a disused hydraulic ram pump. For those, like the writer, not having heard of a ram pump before, it employs water pressure to elevate water to a higher level. This 19th century example used to pump water from the stream right up to the manor house.
Outside the western range of the Castle stand two medieval barns, both of which are constructed largely of ragstone with galleting. The smaller, although longer of the two at 140 feet, was built in 1520. This barn does not have any large wagon doorways. Instead, along its south wall ...
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... side there are several smaller doorways, which have interesting freestone mouldings. It is thought that these mouldings might have come from the chapel or ecclesiastical buildings that were once at Westenhanger. The larger of the two barns, built in 1588, is 120 feet long and 32 feet wide, with walls over three feet thick. It has four wagon porch doors, and spans a stream at its north end. In 1997 English Heritage granted substantial funding for full restoration of this remarkable barn. Work is well underway and due to be completed by mid-2009. At the time of the visit there were no tiles on the roof, and scaffolding was erected in the interior and exterior of the barn. The magnificent oak hammer-beam trusses, normally only found in very high status buildings, had just been replaced after being removed for renovation. For some of the KAS group particularly interested in timber framing, the opportunity of being able to examine the hammer-beams at such close quarters was the highlight of the visit.
Back in the courtyard of the Castle, there was more restoration work to see in the west range, Rosamund’s Tower and the completely rebuilt Dovecote Tower, which contained nesting alcoves for over 500 stock doves.
Tea was served in a permanent marquee on the southern perimeter of the lawn used as a venue for social and corporate functions. After tea, those of the KAS party with the stamina to see more divided into two groups. One group went into the restored manor house, which is now used for civil weddings. This has an elegant Grade 1 listed Queen Anne façade, which had been added to the much-reduced manor house in 1700. Meanwhile, the other group went with the Westenhanger archaeologist to examine the west range in greater detail.
It was a very full afternoon. Everyone was very appreciative of the warm welcome, as well as the very animated and informative presentation of the history of Westenhanger given by Graham Forge and his colleagues. Grateful thanks also go to Joy Saynor for making all the arrangements for such an enjoyable visit.
Angela Davies
KAS Historic Buildings Committee
LEFT: Looking at the brickwork of a garderobe that was installed as one of the improvements by Henry VIII.
KAS Churches Committee
Thirty-six people attended the April visit to St Nicholas, Chislehurst and St Mary Cray Parish Church. The churches of these neighbouring (and very different) parishes are both of interest.
Mr Peter Mosson gave the talk at St Nicholas, where he is treasurer. Two members of the Orpington & District Archaeological Society were also in attendance to answer questions. St Nicholas’s is essentially a 19th-century rebuilding of a 15th-century structure, although traces of a Saxon window have been uncovered in the west wall. Rectors we know back to 1260, and there is a Norman font. The 15th-century rebuilding was carried out under the rector Alan Porter (1446-62) to whom a brass survives in the chancel, and it was funded by the Walsingham family who owned the local manor of Scadbury. The Scadbury Chapel in the north aisle preserves tombs of the well-connected Walsinghams and their successors as lords of the manor, including notably the Townshends. Part of the 15th-century rood screen survives (not in its original position). The 19th-century rebuildings included heightening of the tower and spire and lengthening of the chancel. Twentieth-century features include stained glass by Kempe, the pulpit and the south aisle rereedos.
St Mary Cray Parish Church is a fantastic sight to rail passengers who zoom past over the adjacent viaduct. Until the railway brought about expansion of the local settlement this church was a chapel of Orpington. It is a lofty later-13th century structure consisting of nave, aisles, a long chancel (rebuilt in the 1860’s) and a western tower with shingled spire. Old drawings on display in the church also show a wooden structure above the porch, now gone, which served as a priest’s room before the Reformation and as a schoolroom and meeting room thereafter. One of the most interesting items inside the church is the 18th century Greenwood brass in the chancel, notable for being the last of this genre of memorial to be made. The tower contains six bells (heard by KAS members on arrival, following an earlier wedding), of which three were cast in St Mary Cray in 1655. The talk was given by Mr John Blundell, whose wife helped serve the welcome tea and biscuits.
Paul Lee