Scheduled MonumentsEnglandSt Mary's Abbey: a Benedictine abbey north and east of Water Lane

St Mary's Abbey: a Benedictine abbey north and east of Water Lane

England
List entry 1008030
Nation
England
The designation
Reference
List entry 1008030
Authority
Historic England (NHLE)
Status
Scheduled Monument
Scheduled area
6.21 hectares
Grid reference
TQ 68197 57608
Boundary

Scheduled area

© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © Historic England (NHLE)

Overview

History & significance

St Mary's Abbey is a Benedictine monastery situated north and east of Water Lane in Kent. The abbey represents an important medieval religious foundation, with origins traceable to the Early Medieval period, though much of the surviving architectural evidence reflects later medieval development and modification. The site's archaeological and structural remains provide evidence of the physical layout and evolution of monastic life within the county. The abbey's designation as a heritage monument of national importance reflects its significance to the understanding of Kent's religious and cultural heritage during the medieval period.

St Mary's Abbey: a Benedictine abbey north and east of Water Lane is a scheduled monument protected by Historic England under reference 1008030. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is St Mary's Abbey: a Benedictine abbey north and east of Water Lane?

St Mary's Abbey is a Benedictine monastery situated north and east of Water Lane in Kent. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic England (NHLE) under reference 1008030.

Who is responsible for protecting St Mary's Abbey: a Benedictine abbey north and east of Water Lane?

St Mary's Abbey: a Benedictine abbey north and east of Water Lane is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, legally protected by Historic England (NHLE) — the body responsible for designating and safeguarding heritage sites in England. The official designation reference is 1008030.

What other scheduled monuments are near St Mary's Abbey: a Benedictine abbey north and east of Water Lane?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Tower keep castle at West Malling (0.8 km), World War II Bofors Anti-aircraft gun tower, Pickett-Hamilton fort and pillbox: part of the airfield defences of RAF West Malling fighter station (2 km), Part of an Iron Age enclosure and a minor Roman villa 128m SSE of the Church of St James (2.2 km).

Unlimited access

Everything a full report reveals about St Mary's Abbey: a Benedictine abbey north and east of Water Lane

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 15 strands of St Mary's Abbey: a Benedictine abbey north and east of Water Lane's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:

Overview
An interactive map of the location with every monument and battle plotted, and a plain-language history built only from what the record holds.
Monuments
The legally protected scheduled monuments around the location, each with its period, type and significance.
Battlefields
The battles and sieges fought on this ground, mapped and set on a timeline of the wider conflict.
Roman Britain
The Roman roads, forts and towns near here, and the Iron Age people who held the land before Rome arrived.
Domesday
The settlement's entry in the 1086 Domesday Book: who held it, what it was worth, and the people who worked the land.
Civil War
The Civil War fighting, garrisons and recorded militaria in this area, woven into the arc of 1642 to 1651.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back hundreds of millions of years.
LiDAR
Laser-scanned terrain that reveals earthworks hidden under fields and woodland, with likely features flagged.
Local Names
What the street and field names around here actually mean, and the history buried inside them.
Historical Maps
Ordnance Survey maps from the 1800s, layered over the location as it stands today.
Literature
The books, county histories, charters and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Legal
The protected sites nearby and the metal-detecting, access and treasure laws that apply to this ground.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Target Zones
For detectorists: the most promising ground to search nearby, ranked by confidence, with what to expect.
Timeline
The whole story of the location told era by era, from prehistory to the present day.
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The ground beneath

The bedrock under St Mary's Abbey: a Benedictine abbey north and east of Water Lane

St Mary's Abbey: a Benedictine abbey north and east of Water Lane stands on Lower Greensand Group, bedrock that formed in the Albian. The rock here is sandstone and mudstone.

The wider landscape

Around St Mary's Abbey: a Benedictine abbey north and east of Water Lane

RochesterRoman town · ~7.8 miles