Archbishop's Palace

The Manor of Maidstone was probably given to the Archbishops of Canterbury as a royal gift during the 7th or 8th centuries. A house on the site of the palace was given to Archbishop Langton by Rector William de Cornhill in 1207 to be used as a resting-place for archbishops travelling between London and Canterbury and is linked to palaces at Charing, Otford and Croydon. Cornhill's house was demolished by Archbishop Ufford. The first work on the current building was ordered by Archbishop Ufford in 1348 and was continued by Archbishop Islip between 1349 and 1366, partly with materials from a palace at Wrotham. At the end of the 14th century Archbishop Courtenay expanded the establishment in…

]] The E-shaped palace building is located on the east bank of the River Medway close to its meeting with the River Len. The two-storey central section is constructed of ashlar stonework with a main entrance through a central projecting porch in the north-east façade. Timber framed wings are at each side. The roof is clay tiled and two projecting stone-built dormer windows at attic level on the entrance façade are capped with finials. The south-west façade has windows in a variety of sizes, many stone-framed, and includes a large corbelled and three-tiered and oriel window. To the north-east of the palace, adjacent to Mill Street and the River Len is the 13th and 14th century gatehouse, a…

The palace has been managed by Kent County Council and primarily used as a register office. It is only open to the public on regular "Heritage Days". There have been plans to use the building as a wine bar or hotel. As of October 2023, new tenants are being sought for the building.