| Summary : In 1228 Henry III asked Hubert de Burgh for his manor at Kempton in exchange for lands eslewhere. He constructed a new kitchen, chapel and chambers. The chapel was damaged by fire in 1236 and replaced by a new chapel. This was a two-storey timber building measuring 30 feet by 12 feet, with the Queen's chamber above. A separtae chapel was built for the King's use. A smithy and bakehouse are also documented. The buildings stood within a walled courtyard entered by a timber-framed gateway. In 1244 the old gateway at Westminster was dismantled an dre-erected at Kempton. A survey of 1331 shows the site to be largely ruinous. In 1374 Edward III granted the site to John of Kingston, giving him permission to demolish it and to sell the materials for his own profit. Thereafetr, the only references to it in the royal accounts are to the park and the lodge which took the place of the manor house. |