Queenborough Castle

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as; Sheppey; Quynborow; Quinborough

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

Scant traces of castle of unique circular concentric design built by Edward III in 1361-77. Unconventional circular plan with 6 rounded towers projecting from an inner curtain wall. Concentric outer wall. Pulled down in 1650. Probably mounted cannon and formed part of Thames defence but was, for a while, a favoured royal residence so, by no means, a stark artillery fort.

This site is a scheduled monument protected by law.

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is TQ91237215

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 420340
This site's County Historic Environment Record (formerly Sites and Monuments Record) number is TQ 97 SW 1 '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.channel4.com/history/microsites/T/timeteam/2006_queen.html
• Books
  • Hughes, D.T., 2007, Queenborough Castle : Sheppey's lost fortress (Sheerness: SeaSheppey)
    Salter, Mike, 2000, The Castles of Kent (Malvern) p58-9
    Pettifer, A., 1995, English Castles, A guide by counties (Woodbridge) p133 [slight]
    King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol1 p232
    Newman, John, 1983, The buildings of England: North east and east Kent (Harmondsworth) p419
    Guy, John, 1980, Kent Castles (Meresborough Books)
    Smithers, David Waldron, 1980, Castles in Kent (Chatham)
    Colvin, H.M., Ransome, D.R. and Summerson, John, 1975, The history of the King's Works Vol3: 1485-1660 (part 1) (London) p292-293
    Colvin, H.M., Brown, R.Allen and Taylor, A.J., 1963, The history of the King's Works Vol2: the Middle Ages (London: HMSO) p793-804
    Toy, Sidney, 1953, The Castles of Great Britain (Heinemann) p207-8
    Toy, Sidney, 1939, Castles: A short History of Fortifications from 1600 BC to AD 1600 (London) p165-9
    Harvey, Alfred, 1911, Castles and Walled Towns of England (Methuen and Co)
    Chalkley Gould and Downham, 1908, in Page, Wm (ed), VCH Kent Vol1 p408-9
    Mackenzie, J.D., 1896, Castles of England (New York: Macmillan) Vol1 p30-2 http://www.archive.org/stream/castlesofengland01mack#page/30/mode/1up
    Hasted, Edward, 1798 (2edn), A History and Topographical Survey of the County of Kent Vol6 p233- http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=62963
    Grose, F., 1756, Antiquities of England and Wales Vol3 p90-3
    Clapham and Godfrey, n.d., Some Famous Buildings (Westminster) p271-5
• Journal Articles
  • Birbeck, V. and Chelu, R.A., 2008, 'Geophysical survey and evaluation trenching at Queenborough Castle, Isle of Sheppey' Archaeologia Cantiana Vol128 p378-86
    Anon, 2006-7, 'Time Team at Queenborough' Castle Studies Group Journal Vol20 p165-7 [Brief report of Time Team Excavation]
    Hodge, C., 1998, 'The castles of Kent no4: Queenborough Castle' Kent Archaeological Society Newsletter Vol42 p2-4
    Kenyon, J.R., 1981 'Early Artillery Fortifications in England and Wales: a Preliminary Survey and Re-appraisal' The Archaeological Journal Vol138 p209
    1949, Country Life Vol21 p136
    D'Elboux, B.H., 1945, Coats of arms in Queenborough Castle’, Archaeologia Cantiana Vol58 p14-27 http://www.kentarchaeology.org.uk/Research/Pub/ArchCant/Vol.058%20-%201945/03/14-27.htm
    Cockerell, 1845, Proceeding of the Archaeological Institute p6-8
• Primary (Medieval documents or transcriptions of such documents - This section is far from complete and the secondary sources should be consulted for full references.)
  • Rickard, John, 2002, The Castle Community. The Personnel of English and Welsh Castles, 1272-1422 (Boydell Press) [lists sources for 1272-1422] p273-4
• Antiquarian (Histories and accounts from late medieval and early modern writers)
  • William Camden, 1607, Britannia [http://www.philological.bham.ac.uk/cambrit/kenteng.html#kent16]
• Other sources, 'grey' literature, unpublished works, etc. (Theses, in-house reports and other such)
  • Time Team (Mike Aston et al), 2006 March 12 (1st broadcast), 'Castle in the round' Time Team TV Programme (Time Team, a Videotext/Picture House production for Channel 4)
    2005, Queenborough Castle, Isle of Sheppey, Kent - Time Team archaeological evaluation (Wessex Archaeology)
    Wilkins, I (2005) 'Geophysical Survey: Queenborough Castle, Isle of Sheppey' , Report No. 2005/58. Geophysical Surveys of Bradford (GSB Prospection): Thornton, Bradford http://ads.ahds.ac.uk/catalogue/library/greylit/details.cfm?id=3559