Palace Cottages And The Remains Of The Gatehouse Adjoining

Palace Cottages (Nos 1 and 2) and the remains of the adjoining gatehouse date back to the 14th century. This site was once the south side of the courtyard of the former manor house of the Archbishops of Canterbury, likely built by John Stratford, who served as Archbishop from 1333 to 1348 and is said to have favored Charing as his residence. The buildings are faced with flints.

The south-east section features the roofless remains of the gatehouse, which includes stone carriage and pedestrian archways with obtusely pointed heads. The gable end facing east has flint and brick buttresses at its corners. To the north-east of the gatehouse stands a two-storey cottage with three windows and a half-hipped tiled roof. The ground floor windows of this cottage are set within stone surrounds that resemble medieval windows. Next is another ruined section with a pointed stone archway flanked by buttresses, followed by another inhabited cottage that has two storeys and an attic, a steeply-pitched tiled roof with one modern hipped dormer, and two casement windows.