Penshurst Place

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as; Penhurst Palace

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

Country house originally constructed as a manor house during the early C14, built by John de Pulteney. A licence to crenellate was granted in 1341. A second licence to crenellate, granted in 1392, produced an enclosing outer wall with side and angle towers. The house was extended and altered in the late C14, in the 1430s, 1552, and during C17 to C18. Restorations were carried out circa 1818 and 1850s. The large, rambling house is built largely of sandstone, with tiled roofs. One altered battlemented square sandstone tower of circa 1400 survives. Forfeited to Henry VIII in 1521

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is TQ52754398

Air Photo from Air Photo and general mapping	1st edition OS Map from Mid to late 19th century maps
Modern Map from Landscape form and features	Modern Map from General location and route planning
Geograph British Isles occasionally has photos of the site and will usually give an idea of the surrounding landscape.

Sources of information, references and further reading

This site's English Heritage (PastScape) Defra or Monument number is 409388; 409412
This site's County Historic Environment Record (formerly Sites and Monuments Record) number is TQ 54 SW 4 'grey' literature, such as watching brief reports, held by H.E.R.s is often poorly referenced and is unlikely to be recorded in this website.

• Web site links
  • http://www.castleuk.net/castle_lists_south/188/penshurst.html
    http://www.ecastles.co.uk/penshurst.html
• Books
  • Emery, Anthony, 2006, Greater Medieval Houses Vol3 (Cambridge) p386-94 [plans and reconstructions]
    Salter, Mike, 2000, The Castles of Kent (Malvern) p57
    Pettifer, A., 1995, English Castles, A guide by counties (Woodbridge) p123-4
    Thurley, Simon, 1993, The Royal Palaces of Tudor England (Yale University Press) p49, 68
    James, T.B., 1990, The Palaces of Medieval England (London; Seaby) p111, 131
    Guy, John, 1980, Kent Castles (Meresborough Books)
    Girouard, Mark, 1979, Historic Houses of Britain (Artus) [1984edn by Perage Books] p40-44
    Newman, John, 1976, The buildings of England: West Kent and the Weald (Harmondsworth) p454-59
    Binney, M. and Emery, A., 1973, The Architectural Development of Penshurst Place
    Tipping, H.A., 1921, English Homes, period 1 Vol1 (London) p166-88
    Timbs, J. and Gunn, A., 1872, Abbeys, Castles and Ancient Halls of England and Wales Vol1 (London) p303-8
    Turner, T.H. and Parker, J.H., 1859, Some account of Domestic Architecture in England (Oxford) Vol3 pt2 p413, 420
    Turner, T.H. and Parker, J.H., 1853, Some account of Domestic Architecture in England (Oxford) Vol2 p277-81
    Hasted, Edward, 1797 (2edn), A History and Topographical Survey of the County of Kent Vol3 p227-257 [manorial history] http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=62856
• Journal Articles
  • Coulson, Charles, 2007-8, 'On Crenellating, in Kent and Beyond - A Retrospection' The Castle Studies Group Journal Vol21 p189-201 esp p195, 197
    Binney, M., 1972 March/May, Country Life
    Parker, J.H., 1863 July, Gentleman's Magazine Vol25 pt2 p178-88 http://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015030568854
• Guidebooks
  • anon, n.d., Penshurst Place, Tonbridge, Kent (Curwen Press)
• Primary (Medieval documents or transcriptions of such documents - This section is far from complete and the secondary sources should be consulted for full references.)
  • Calendar of Patent Rolls (1340-43) p331
    Calendar of Patent Rolls (1392-96) p164
• Antiquarian (Histories and accounts from late medieval and early modern writers)
  • William Camden, 1607, Britannia [http://www.philological.bham.ac.uk/cambrit/kenteng.html#kent10]