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Temple Court, Knight Road, ROCHESTER, ME2 2LT

Temple Manor must have just about the most unlikely setting of any of English Heritage's ancient buildings. It is found in an industrial estate alongside Knight Road. This is Knight Road and Temple Manor is behind the green fence on the right. For a view of Temple Manor and a little more of its history see http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/3602370

Temple Manor must have just about the most unlikely setting of any of English Heritage's ancient buildings. It is found in an industrial estate alongside Knight Road. This is Knight Road and Temple Manor is behind the green fence on the left. For a view of Temple Manor and a little more of its history see http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/3602370

As seen from Knight Road.

The upper floor of Temple Manor spans the length of the original building and contains a large red-brick fireplace. Much of this fine building had to be reconstructed after it had fallen into a parlous state at the beginning of the C20th. Fortunately its importance was recognized and it was rescued for posterity. See also Image] and Image]

An early C13th storeyed hall of the Knights Templar later it became a farmhouse and is now an Ancient Monument in the custodianship of English Heritage. One of the many remarkable things about this building is its setting - behind a chain-link fence in the midst of an industrial estate in Strood. See EH Grade I listing here: https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1120910 Ancient Monument Listing: https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1011805 English Heritage Visitor information: https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/temple-manor See also Image] & Image]

A real gem in the middle of an industrial estate.

Originally dating from the 13th Century and extended in the 17th, Temple Manor was used as residence for the Knights Templar. It lies in the heart of industrial Strood.

The remains of the Knights Templars manor house, Grade I Listed Scheduled Monument. Some form of occupation of the site has occurred since Roman times, a burial to the south-east of the present building is thought to date from then. Later it was part of a royal manor until c.1159 when Henry II granted it to the Knights Templars along with all the dues and administrative rights of the Hundred of Shamel in which it lay. By 1312 the order was dissolved and the manor was apparently in the hands of the King and in 1324 the Grand Prior formally ceded the manor to the king. In 1342 Edward III granted it to Mary of St Pol and it was used for Franciscan nuns until 1539. It then passed through the hands of Edward Elrington, the Cobham family, Robert Cecil, Stuart, Duke of Richmond and Isaac Blake. The Blake family held the estate until the 18th century, when it was sold on to various families who combined farming with commerce and gradually divided the estate up. In the 1930's the City of Rochester acquired what remained of the estate for industrial development. In 1950 guardianship of the site, in a state of decline was offered to the Ministry of Works. Access to the upper floor was by means of an external stair, reconstructed c.1950 when the building was restored. Now in the hands of English Heritage, it is planned to be opened to the public for 13 days in August 2024.

Temple Manor must have just about the most unlikely setting of any of English Heritage's ancient buildings. It is found in an industrial estate alongside Knight Road. Its actual setting can be seen at http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/3602375 and http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/3602377 It is part of a 13th century flint manor house which originally belonged to the Knights Templars. The red brick additions date from Tudor times.