St Mary'S Abbey Tower To Original Abbey

St Mary's Abbey Tower is a Grade I listed ruin of the abbey church located in West Malling. It was built around 1090 by Archbishop Gundulf of Rochester, who replaced a group of Benedictine monks with Benedictine nuns, led by an abbess named Aricia from Normandy. The abbey was rededicated from St Andrew to the Virgin Mary.

The base of the tower dates from the early Norman period, featuring late Norman arcading above. It has 14th-century octagonal corner turrets and a lean-to structure added on the east side in the 18th century by Honeywood. The tower is constructed of stone rubble, with the two lowest tiers of arcading made of tufa and some dressings in Caen stone.

The west front displays projecting corners, with the first stage featuring round-headed arches from around 1090. The second stage has similar round-headed arches with impost blocks, while the third and fourth stages showcase late Norman blank arcading. The fifth stage includes tall octagonal turrets from the 14th century. An arched doorway with a wooden surround and a six-plank door with an iron handle is present, above which is a paired trefoliated window with a quatrefoil above. There are tall round-headed blocked arches on either side of the doorcase.

The north front has a blocked arch at the first stage and a window with a double cinquefoil-headed arch above. The east front features the 18th-century lean-to with two double cinquefoil-headed lights that were relocated from other parts of the abbey, along with a two-storey central door, likely used as a hayloft. The south front is obscured by a 20th-century building that has been constructed over the west side of the cloister.