Westenhanger Castle, Quadrangular castle in Stanford, England.
Westenhanger Castle is a medieval fortified manor house in Stanford, Kent, listed as both a Grade I building and a scheduled monument. It features thick stone walls arranged in a rectangle, with towers at the corners and a large open courtyard at its centre.
The castle dates to the 14th century, when the de Criol family built the first fortified structure on the site and established it as an important seat in Kent. Over the following centuries it passed through several hands and gradually fell into disrepair before being protected as a monument.
The castle once served as a home for English nobility, and members of the royal family are said to have stayed within its walls. Today, the surviving towers and stonework give a clear sense of how wealth and status were displayed in medieval England.
The castle is often used for private events such as weddings, so public access can be limited on many days. It is worth checking in advance whether the site is open before planning a visit.
A full-size replica of the Discovery, the ship that carried settlers to Jamestown, Virginia in 1607, stands on the castle grounds. Few visitors expect to find a link to early American colonial history at a medieval site in Kent.
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