Lympne Castle

En un regard

Le château en bref

Perched on the edge of the ancient cliff overlooking the Romney Marsh plain, Lympne Castle is a medieval fortified house whose core dates back to the 13th and 14th centuries. From the 11th century the site belonged to the Archdeacons of Canterbury, who used it as their residence for nearly eight centuries, and its vantage point takes in the Channel coast from Dover to Hastings. The medieval complex is arranged around a 14th-century great hall flanked by two towers: a square tower to the east, probably 13th-century, and a rectangular tower to the west, extended in the 15th century by a semicircular addition with a stair turret. All the ranges are crenellated and built of Kentish ragstone rubble with ashlar dressings; some of the materials are thought to have come from the Roman fort of Portus Lemanis, whose ruins, known as Stutfall Castle, lie below. After a long spell as a farm, the property was bought in 1906 by F. J. Tennant, who commissioned the Scottish architect Robert Lorimer to carry out an ambitious restoration in 1907 and again in 1911-1912, including the addition of new wings. Listed Grade I, the castle is today a private property operated as a venue for receptions, weddings and dining.