Binbury Castle, Thurnham

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as; Thornham; Bonbury; Stocking Wood

In the civil parish of Thurnham.
In the historic county of Kent (Modern Authority of Kent, 1974 county of Kent).

Binbury Castle comprises a fine motte which retains the majority of its enclosing ditch. The bailey is no longer traceable except on the NE side where, on the line of the curtain wall at the point where the bailey joined the ditch of the motte, there is a mural tower, the remains of a mediaeval manor-house . This is oblong on plan measuring 4.5m x 3.3m internally, and stands to a height of about 7.5m; its walls of knapped flint with ragstone quoins are 1.9m thick. It is heavily buttressed on its NE face and altered elsewhere by the insertion of brick chimneys and various building additions. The remains of the curtain wall are visible on its SW wall and are traceable as footings for the fewm NW from there to the edge of the ditch. The site lies within the boundary of a disused airfield and although the barns are still in use the farmhouse proper - Binbury Manor - has been demolished.

This site has been described as a;
Timber Castle
Fortified Manor House.
The confidence that this site is a medieval fortification or palace is Certain.
Earthworks remains.

This site is a scheduled monument protected by law.
This site is a Grade 2 listed building protected by law*. (Images of England number 173696)

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is TQ81156023

Modern Map from

Good for landscape form and features

Modern Map from

Good for general location

Air Photo from

1st edition OS Map from

Sources of information, references and further reading

PastScape number; 418603

Books

Salter, Mike, 2000, The Castles of Kent (Malvern) p20
Pettifer, A., 1995, English Castles, A guide by counties (Woodbridge) p133 [slight]
King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol1 p235
Newman, John, 1983, The buildings of England: North east and east Kent (Harmondsworth) p478
Guy, John, 1980, Kent Castles (Meresborough Books)
Renn, D.F., 1973 (2edn), Norman Castles of Britain (John Baker)
Chalkley Gould and Downham, 1908, in Page, Wm (ed), VCH Kent Vol1 p422-3
Sands, Harold, 1907, 'Some Kentish Castles' in Ditchfield and Clinch, Memorials of Old Kent (London) p31-3

Journal Articles

Clark, G.T., 1874, The Builder Vol32 p625-6
Clark, G.T., 1869, The Builder Vol27 p350

Most of the sites or buildings recorded in this web site are NOT open to the public and permission to visit a site must always be sought from the landowner or tenant

The information on this web page may be derived from information compiled by and/or copyright of English Heritage and other individuals and organisations.

It is an offence to disturb a Scheduled Monument without consent. It is a destruction of everyone's heritage to remove archaeological evidence from any site without proper recording and reporting. Don't use metal detectors on historic sites without authorisation.

Please help me to make this as useful a resource as possible by contacting me if you see errors or if you can add information.
I do acknowledge the help I get with this site.

*The listed building may not be the actual medieval building, but a building on the site of, or incorporating fragments of, the described site.

Go to Previous Record Go to Next Record Back to List
This record last updated on Friday, April 6, 2007

¤¤¤¤¤