Groombridge Place Moat, Walls and Bridge Including the West Gateway and Cottage on the North Bridge
GROOMBRIDGE PLACE MOAT, WALLS AND BRIDGE INCLUDING THE WEST GATEWAY AND COTTAGE ON THE NORTH BRIDGE, GROOMBRIDGE HILL
Listed on the National Heritage List for England. Search over 400,000 listed places
Overview
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- I
- List Entry Number:
- 1260960
- Date first listed:
- 20-Oct-1954
- List Entry Name:
- Groombridge Place Moat, Walls and Bridge Including the West Gateway and Cottage on the North Bridge
- Statutory Address:
- GROOMBRIDGE PLACE MOAT, WALLS AND BRIDGE INCLUDING THE WEST GATEWAY AND COTTAGE ON THE NORTH BRIDGE, GROOMBRIDGE HILL
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Location
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Images of England Project
- Date:
- 2003-04-03
- Reference:
- IOE01/07374/02
- Rights:
- © Dr Ray Hawkins. Source: Historic England Archive
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Discover moreOfficial list entry
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- I
- List Entry Number:
- 1260960
- Date first listed:
- 20-Oct-1954
- Date of most recent amendment:
- 24-Aug-1990
- List Entry Name:
- Groombridge Place Moat, Walls and Bridge Including the West Gateway and Cottage on the North Bridge
- Statutory Address 1:
- GROOMBRIDGE PLACE MOAT, WALLS AND BRIDGE INCLUDING THE WEST GATEWAY AND COTTAGE ON THE NORTH BRIDGE, GROOMBRIDGE HILL
The scope of legal protection for listed buildings
This List entry helps identify the building designated at this address for its special architectural or historic interest.
Unless the List entry states otherwise, it includes both the structure itself and any object or structure fixed to it (whether inside or outside) as well as any object or structure within the curtilage of the building.
For these purposes, to be included within the curtilage of the building, the object or structure must have formed part of the land since before 1st July 1948.
The scope of legal protection for listed buildings
This List entry helps identify the building designated at this address for its special architectural or historic interest.
Unless the List entry states otherwise, it includes both the structure itself and any object or structure fixed to it (whether inside or outside) as well as any object or structure within the curtilage of the building.
For these purposes, to be included within the curtilage of the building, the object or structure must have formed part of the land since before 1st July 1948.
Location
- Statutory Address:
- GROOMBRIDGE PLACE MOAT, WALLS AND BRIDGE INCLUDING THE WEST GATEWAY AND COTTAGE ON THE NORTH BRIDGE, GROOMBRIDGE HILL
The building or site itself may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.
- County:
- Kent
- District:
- Tunbridge Wells (District Authority)
- Parish:
- Speldhurst
- National Grid Reference:
- TQ 53229 37625
Details
TQ 53 37 SPELDHURST GROOMBRIDGE HILL (off east side), OLD GROOMBRIDGE 16/505 Groombridge Place moat, walls and bridge including the west 20.10.54 gateway and cottage on the north bridge GV I
Moat walls, bridges, west gateway and north bridge cottage.
The moat walls. Medieval origins, renovated and probably much rebuilt circa 1660 when Groombridge Place (q.v.) was rebuilt. English bond brick on coursed sandstone blocks. Walls rise a short distance as a parapet and have weathered sandstone coping.
West Bridge and Gateway. Circa 1660. Bridge is red brick with sandstone ashlar voussoirs and parapet. Sandstone ashlar gate piers. This is the main entrance across the moat. Single span bridge with a segmental arch. Ashlar parapet walls broken by a series of piers giving a panelled effect. Projecting coping. Gate piers on inside (eastern) end. Tall square section piers with soffit-moulded caps and pineapple vase finials. Double gates are probably original; timber frame with iron spear headed rails. Small attachments onto the bridge containing niche-like seats.
East Bridge. Circa 1660. Sandstone ashlar bridge giving access across the moat to the service courtyard. Single span elliptical arch. Plain parapet with weathered coping rising in a ramp from the outer retaining wall.
North Bridge and Cottage. Second half of C17. Red brick bridge of 3 uneven arches. The cottage of English bond red brick with similar stack and chimneyshaft and peg-tile roof is built over the inner (southern) 2 arches. The bridge outer elliptical arch is the widest. The other 2 are low pitch pointed arches. The centre one is the smallest and is blind; appears only on the west side.
2-room cottage on the eastern side of the bridge. Outer room is parallel to the bridge with an outer lateral stack and inner room has gabled crossroof. It is 2 storeys. Doorway roughly central and into outer room. It has a stone lintel and contains plain plank door (another door in southern end). Single window to first floor right in gable of crossroof and one each floor in left (north) gable end; original 2-light windows with ovolo-moulded mullions and containing diamond panes of old leaded glass. Interior has plain carpentry detail.
These features play a pivotal role in the setting of Groombridge Place (q.v.).
Listing NGR: TQ5322837626
Legacy
The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.
- Legacy System number:
- 439031
- Legacy System:
- LBS
Sources
Other
Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in England, Part 24 Kent,
Legal
This building is listed under the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 as amended for its special architectural or historic interest.
Map
This map is for quick reference purposes only and may not be to scale. This copy shows the entry on 10-Jun-2026 at 13:48:27.
Download a full scale map (PDF)End of official list entry
All text content is available under the Open Government Licence v3.0 , except where otherwise stated. Any supplied maps are © Crown Copyright [and database rights] 2026 OS AC0000815036 and may not be reproduced without permission.