Thurnham Castle or Godard's Castle is situated to the north of the village of
Thurnham which is 3 miles north-east of
Maidstone
Maidstone is the largest Town status in the United Kingdom, town in Kent, England, of which it is the county town. Maidstone is historically important and lies east-south-east of London. The River Medway runs through the centre of the town, l ...
,
Kent
Kent is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Essex across the Thames Estuary to the north, the Strait of Dover to the south-east, East Sussex to the south-west, Surrey to the west, and Gr ...
().
It is a 12th-century
flint-built castle constructed by Robert of Thurnham in the reign of
Henry II
Henry II may refer to:
Kings
* Saint Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor (972–1024), crowned King of Germany in 1002, of Italy in 1004 and Emperor in 1014
*Henry II of England (1133–89), reigned from 1154
*Henry II of Jerusalem and Cyprus (1271–1 ...
on a hill on the edge of the
North Downs
The North Downs are a ridge of chalk hills in south east England that stretch from Farnham in Surrey to the White Cliffs of Dover in Kent. Much of the North Downs comprises two Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, Areas of Outstanding Natural Be ...
. One side of the
bailey wall still stands 10 foot high and originally it enclosed an area of about a quarter of an acre.
In the 12th century, the site belonged to the de Say family and then the Thurnhams.
The site has been acquired by Kent County Council and included in the
White Horse Wood and Country Park Project. Much of the site has been cleared of undergrowth and public access has been provided.
See also
*
List of scheduled monuments in Maidstone
References
*
Fry, Plantagenet Somerset, ''The David & Charles Book of Castles'', David & Charles, 1980.
External links
A Brief History of Thurnham Thurnham Parish Council
Castles in Kent
Borough of Maidstone
History of Kent
Ruins in Kent
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