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Saltwood Castle

The Manor of Saltwood was granted to the see of Canterbury in 1026.

Archbishop Lanfranc took Saltwood into his personal possession in 1086; it apparently remained the property of the archbishops for much of the Middle Ages.

It is possible that a ringwork castle was constructed on the site of a manorial establishment at the time of Domesday.

The square towers of the inner ward probably date from around 1160 and the round towers of the outer ward or barbican are 14th century. The arms of Archbishop Courtney distinguish the great gatehouse built when he made the castle his chief residence from 1382.

The castle gained notoriety as the refuge for the murderers of Becket before and after his martyrdom. In 1540 the Saltwood Castle was conveyed to the Crown but it soon declined into a farm.

There were restorations in the 1880s which added to the gatehouse to make it into a dwelling, and the later hall was largely re-worked by Philip Tilden in the 1930s. The battlements have been restored.

The Saltwood Castle is owned by the Clark family and it is not open for visitors.

Saltwood Castle Map&Location

Saltwood Castle address: Castle Rd, Saltwood, Hythe, Kent CT21 4QU, UK. Get help with directions using this map:


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Saltwood Castle Photos

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Saltwood Castle around 1830

Saltwood Castle by Angus Willson

Saltwood Castle walls by David Anstiss

 

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