| Summary : Moated manor house, fortified in 1262. A large, oval enclosure comprising an earthen bank and ditch incorporate the remains of the moat. Excavations in 1974-6 revealed the footings of a barn and a bakehouse/brewhouse which probably burned down in the late 14th century. The present house is 16th century in date, refaced circa 1620, and with 19th century extensions to the rear. It is timber framed and faced in brick, with a tiled roof. |
More information : [Centred: TQ 36354805] Lagham Manor [TI]
Moat [GT]
Earthwork [GT]. (1)
The earthwork at Lagham consists of an oval enclosure with high bank and ditch comprising about 6 acres of land and 2 of water. The ditch is divided into two portions by causeways at the N.W. and S.E. of the enclosure. A fragment of R.B. pottery has been found in the bank near the surface of the original soil. The earthworks may be prehistoric and the fine preservation of the site can probably be attributed to its fortification in 1261 by Roger St. John, when either ancient works were repaired or new ones made.Foundations of stone buildings were found a few years ago on the lawn of the present (17th c) house and part of a gateway perhaps at the N.W. entrance was standing in the early 19th c. (2) The
moated enclosure outside the SE angle possibly contained the earliest manor house.
Area; TQ 370480 The boundary of Lagham Park, enclosing c.380 acres in Godstone and 120 in Tandridge, can be readily traced on either side of the Godstone Station road close to Posternagate Fm. (which preserves the memory of the back entrance to the park). It consists of bank and ditch, which is so high in Bradford Wood as to suggest a defence. The park is mentioned as 'Old Park' in 1661. Detailed description of route given (3)
Scheduled (4). (2-4)
Lagham Manor earthworks are as described and in good condition. At TQ 36334800 they incorporate the remains of a homestead moat, thus disproving any claim that the work is perhaps prehistoric in origin. The smaller moated enclosure outside the main work is not a homestead moat; its exact purpose is obscure but it is probably connected with the deer park, the pale of which can still be traced for most of its length. According to the owner, the foundations found c.1900 belonged to farm buildings destroyed in the 19th c.
Published 1/2500 revised. (5)
TQ 364481 (sic). Excavation by the Bourne Society, directed
by L Ketteringham in 1974. Sandstone footings of what is believed to be the bakery and brewhouse with a moderate quantity of 13th/14th century pottery have been revealed. The building, at least 11m long and divided into four, was timber framed and destroyed by fire probably in the late 14th century. The moat, over 18m wide and irregular in shape, is being surveyed to seek the cause for its size, and to assess whether it followed natural contours. (6).
TQ 481365 (sic). Continued excavation in 1975 and 1976. The
sandstone footings of a large barn, internal dimensions 36.5
by 9.7m were discovered. The thatched or shingled roof was
supported on a substantial timber frame, the posts of which
rested on short aisle walls and extended over low clay walls
c1m thich. The barn was probably abandoned at the time
documentary sources give for the construction of the moat in
1262. A dump of several hundred decorated but broken floor tiles of 'Westminster' type were found in a small outbuilding attached
to the bakery and brewhouse area. A small amount of 13th/14th
century pottery was found in the clay floor of the building
beneath the tiles. (7).
TQ 373480 (sic). Medieval moated site. (8-13)
Interim report. (14).
TQ 363481 (sic). Lagham Manor includes an 18th century
brewhouse and oasthouses. (15).
A plan of the earthworks at Lagham Park, at a scale of 25 inches to 1 mile, drawn by Mr Edward Andrews Downman, of Laindon, Essex between 1889 and 1905 is in Kingston Museum, Ref S(913) No 3666. (16).
Listed as a strong house by Cathcart King. (17) |