Temple Manor

Although once surrounded by farmland, this ancient manor house now stands amidst an industrial estate. Nevertheless, a leafy garden provides a fitting setting for the property, and visitors willing to brave the built-up surroundings are more than rewarded with a fine medieval building - which also includes fascinating traces of wall paintings in the first floor hall.

Built around 1240 by the Knights Templar, the manor was designed to provide suitable lodging for dignitaries travelling between Dover and London. In the years that followed however, the building not only changed functions but on many occasions also hands, eventually falling into disuse and disrepair.

Thankfully though, following the end of the Second World War the site was sympathetically restored by the Ministry of Works, and now stands as an interesting reminder of the military and religious order that established it during the time of the Crusades.