Temple At Temple Hill

The Temple at Temple Hill is a summerhouse built in the late 18th century, featuring wood columns, brick, and plaster. It has a Doric portico that is accessed by three steps and supported by four columns. The portico includes a triglyph frieze adorned with rosettes and rams' heads in the metopes, along with ornamented soffites and a pediment above. The entrance consists of a double panelled door flanked by fluted Doric pilasters and round arched windows. Above the door is an inscribed panel with the letters: D A.C. S A.Q. F.T. E.A. Q.E.T.C.

Inside, the temple has 20th-century plasterboard and features two niches. It is situated within the grounds of Godmersham Park, an estate owned by Edward Austen Knight, who was the brother of the famous author Jane Austen. Jane is believed to have visited the estate frequently, and it is said that she wrote some of her works in this temple, which overlooks the house. The listing was enhanced in 2017 to commemorate the bicentenary of Jane Austen's death.