© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © Historic England (NHLE)
Westenhanger Castle is a medieval fortified house located near Hythe in Kent, dating primarily to the fourteenth century. The castle was built by the Criol family and subsequently developed by the Dynes family, reflecting the military and domestic aspirations of Kent gentry during the later medieval period. The surviving remains comprise substantial stone walls and towers characteristic of the period's defensive architecture, with later modifications indicating continuous occupation and adaptation through subsequent centuries. The site represents an important example of the transition from purely military strongholds to fortified residences that characterised the domestic architecture of the English nobility and gentry during the Middle Ages.
Westenhanger Castle is a scheduled monument protected by Historic England under reference 1020761. View the official record →
Westenhanger Castle is a medieval fortified house located near Hythe in Kent, dating primarily to the fourteenth century. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic England (NHLE) under reference 1020761.
Westenhanger Castle 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 1020761.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Royal Military Canal, West Hythe Dam to West Hythe Bridge (3.1 km), Saxon Shore fort now called Stutfall Castle, 468m south-west of St Stephen's Church (3.1 km), Royal Military Canal, West Hythe Bridge to Scanlon's Bridge (3.4 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 15 strands of Westenhanger Castle's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:
Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.
Westenhanger Castle stands on Lower Greensand Group, bedrock that formed in the Albian. The rock here is sandstone and mudstone.