Simpson's Manor

Historical records show that the site belonged to the "Bankewell" (aka "Banquelle" or "de Banquelle") family as far back as 1302 (during the reign of Edward I) with John de Bankwell holding a charter of free warren to his lands there. His descendant Thomas de Bankewell is recorded as dying as a fief in 1352 (during Edward III's reign). The land eventually passed to the Clark family, and during the reign of Henry V (1413–1422) William Clark applied for a license to build a fortified manor house with crenellated walls and a deep moat (the latter being recorded as "supplied and nourished with a living spring"). John Simpson acquired the manor in the latter part of the reign of Henry VI (r.…

According to Dunkin. the original castle-like manor house was probably square in shape with fortified crenellated walls surrounded on all sides by a deep moat. Access was by a drawbridge on the northern side. The foundations of the walls were of "large flints intermixed with stone and cemented with strong lime mortar". and there were strong buttresses securing the angles into the moat. The Lord of the domain would have lived in apartements either within the outer walls or, more likely, in a separate structure within the central courtyard – the latter would have been more defensible. There was also a small terrace projecting from the eastern side of the house. Topographically, the house was…

The former site of Simpson's manor house is now partially occupied by a Quaker meeting house at the junction of Ringer's road and Ravensbourne road.