603:
an inner gatehouse halfway along the western wall of the outer ward, crossing the moat by means of a drawbridge. This arrangement meant that an attacker would have to capture the outer ward before being able to assault the inner one. The ward's curtain wall still stands to a height of between 3–6 metres (15–30 ft). Two of its towers, in the south-east and north-west corners, still stand to a height of about 7 metres (34 ft) but the north-east tower has disappeared and the south-west tower has collapsed. There are traces of buildings along the inside of the walls of the inner ward, which were presumably the domestic buildings of the castle. In the north-east corner of the inner ward the ruins of a vaulted undercroft survive under what was once the Great
Chamber of the castle.
612:
565:
589:
546:(3.2 ha) perimeter it had two wards of different sizes arranged side by side. Each stood on a mound within a figure of eight-shaped system of moats and ditches. The inner ward, in the western part of the castle, appears to have been surrounded by a moat that may have been up to 20 metres (66 ft) wide. The larger outer ward, in the eastern part of the castle, was flanked on its western side by the moat, and a dry ditch up to 6 metres (20 ft) deep flanked the other three sides of the ward. A causeway on the northern side separated the ditch from the moat.
538:
577:
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41:
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L-shaped range of outbuildings was also constructed in the outer ward, including a timber-framed barn that was built in the 17th century. At some point in the 18th or 19th century, part of the inner ward was landscaped, possibly to create a garden incorporating the ruins. The ownership of the castle is split three ways; the barn is used as a party and wedding venue, the inner ward was owned for many years by the
64:
628:, flanking an arched gateway that stands 3 metres (9.8 ft) high and 5 metres (16 ft) wide. Both towers are open at the back, but were probably originally closed off by timber walls. The eastern tower incorporates a copper plate on which is enamelled the following inscription, set out both in wording and in design as an imitation of a contemporary deed:
554:
The outer ward had a roughly rectangular shape measuring about 134 x 88 metres (440 x 290 ft). It was completely walled, with horseshoe-shaped towers on three corners, and was accessed via the outer gatehouse at its south-west corner. The corner towers are advanced about 5 metres (16 ft) in
602:
The roughly square inner ward measures about 60 x 52 metres (196 x 170 feet). It stands on a higher mound that gave its occupants a view over the outer ward and the surrounding countryside. The ward was completely walled and completely independent of the outer ward. It could only be accessed through
503:
on suspicion of having deliberately failed to defend the castle, but were soon released and allowed to return to their estates. The castle was never rebuilt after being ruined by Wyatt's bombardment; the
Cobhams abandoned it and subsequently lived at Cobham Hall, and the castle was allowed to fall
498:
The defenders were forced to surrender on 30 January 1554 after only eight hours of siege and bombardment which badly damaged the castle. According to contemporary reports, Cobham had just eight men armed with "only four or five handguns, four pikes and some blakbylls" to defend the castle. Wyatt
512:
The castle remained in the
Cobhams' ownership until the 18th century. Between 1650 and 1670, Sir Thomas Whitmore built a farmhouse within the castle's outer ward, which has undergone many alterations over the years. Its facade dates from the 19th century and was reworked in the 20th century. An
545:
Cooling Castle has an unusual layout that was perhaps dictated by the marshy ground on which it was constructed. Most quadrangular castles were constructed on a single moated island within which was a system of inner wards or courtyards. Cooling Castle differed in that within its 8 acres
450:
Cobham fell out of the king's favour shortly after the castle was completed and he was exiled for a while, but was eventually able to return and died at
Cooling in 1408. His granddaughter Joan inherited his estates and married four times. Her last husband, Sir
491:, a few miles south of Cooling. It is unclear why, while ostensibly marching on London, he attacked Cooling as the detour gave Mary more time to prepare her own defences. There may have been a personal motive for Wyatt as the castle's occupant was his uncle
392:. His attack badly damaged the castle, and it was subsequently abandoned and allowed to fall into disrepair. A farmhouse and outbuildings were constructed among the ruins a century later. Today the farmhouse is the home of the musician
429:, a French raid devastated towns and villages along the Thames Estuary. Cobham appealed to the Crown for licence to fortify his manor and received permission in February 1380. The building work was completed by 1385.
555:
front of the curtain wall and still stand to a height of 12 metres (39 ft). Parts of the curtain wall also remain. Much of the outer ward is now occupied by the 17th-century farmhouse and its outbuildings.
436:
taking a supervisory role. The castle is of particular importance as the earliest
English castle designed for the use of gunpowder weapons. Lord Cobham's instructions to his masons include his requirement for
619:
The outer gatehouse is the castle's most prominent surviving feature and adjoins the Cliffe to
Cooling road. It consists of two semi-circular towers standing 12 metres (39 ft) high, with prominent
432:
Surviving records indicate that the prominent gatehouse was built by local labour under several master masons, including Thomas Crompe, William
Sharnall and Thomas Wrek, with the king's master mason
475:
Cooling Castle saw action only once, in 1554, when it was attacked by the forces of the
Kentish landowner Sir Thomas Wyatt during his rebellion against Queen Mary's engagement to King
529:'s "Heritage at Risk" register due to the very poor condition of its fabric. The castle can be viewed from the road, but sits on private property and is not open to the public.
673:
The inscription was probably intended to serve as a reassurance to the local community that the castle's purpose was purely defensive rather than being for their oppression.
525:
in 1946, the
Gatehouse and the Inner Ward were separately listed as Grade I in 1966, while the barn was Grade II listed in 1986. Cooling Castle is listed on
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of unequal size next to each other, surrounded by moats and ditches. It was the earliest
English castle designed for the use of
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417:; the river is now about 2 miles (3.2 km) north of the castle, separated from it by marshes. It was constructed by
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proceeded to London but was defeated and executed for his treason. Cobham and his son were imprisoned in the
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Wardens, and the house's current occupant is the musician Jools Holland. The castle and its setting was
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459:
heresy. The Cobham title remained intact but the castle passed to other families down the female line.
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1029:
385:
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258:
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425:, whose family had acquired the manor of Cooling in the mid-13th century. In 1379, during the
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on the throne, he raised an army of some 4,000 men and captured two cannons from the army of
479:. In an unsuccessful bid to overthrow the unpopular queen and place Princess (later Queen)
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Sir Thomas Wyatt, who seized and destroyed Cooling Castle on 30 January 1554
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the castle proved devastating. It was captured after only eight hours when
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40:
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422:
810:
The Medieval Castle in England and Wales: A Political and Social History
132:
12 metres (39 ft) (gatehouse), up to 9 metres (30 ft) (walls)
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besieged it in January 1554 during his unsuccessful rebellion against
467:
374:
850:"Sir Thomas Wyatt's Assault on Cooling Castle, 30th January 1554"
792:
Saunders, Andrew; Smith, Victor (2001). "Cooling Castle – KD 4".
456:
947:"Barn 30 yards north east of Cooling Castle gatehouse (1281341)"
732:"Cooling Castle and its associated landscaped setting (1009018)"
488:
410:
686:, Archaeologia Cantiana, Vol. 11, 1877 pp. 128–144
200:
196:
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413:, although the shoreline has since receded as a result of
369:. The castle has an unusual layout, comprising two walled
917:"Cooling, Hoo Peninsula, Kent – Historic Area Assessment"
722:
720:
718:
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The castle was originally built on the south bank of the
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Despite this distinction, the use of gunpowder weapons
715:
396:, while the nearby barn is used as a wedding venue.
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Cooling Castle and its associated landscaped setting
941:
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Quadrangular castle in the village of Cooling, Kent
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570:Southeast tower of Cooling Castle's inner ward
791:
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794:Kent's Defence Heritage – Gazetteer Part One
914:
813:. Cambridge University Press. p. 255.
455:, was executed in 1417 for his role in the
988:
800:
615:Inscription on Cooling Castle's gatehouse
915:Smith, Joanna; Clarke, Jonathan (2014).
888:
886:
757:
610:
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974:"Cooling Castle, Cooling – Medway (UA)"
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427:second phase of the Hundred Years' War
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541:Ordnance Survey map of Cooling Castle
357:about 6 miles (9.7 km) north of
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699:Castles in Great Britain and Ireland
462:
764:. Casemate Publishers. p. 71.
642:That I am mad in help of the cuntre
361:. It was built in the 1380s by the
13:
952:National Heritage List for England
778:
737:National Heritage List for England
676:
660:That I am made to help the country
485:Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk
14:
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894:"Cooling Castle – Cliffe History"
664:This is charter and witnessing.
594:Southeast tower of the outer ward
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45:Outer gatehouse of Cooling Castle
1055:Grade I listed buildings in Kent
587:
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419:John de Cobham, 3rd Baron Cobham
62:
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39:
966:
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650:Thys is chartre and wytnessyng.
638:Knouwyth that beth and schul be
493:George Brooke, 9th Baron Cobham
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908:
841:
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807:Pounds, Norman J. G. (1994).
709:
658:Know that are and shall be
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310:Inner Ward to Cooling Castle
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1040:Tourist attractions in Kent
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684:Coulng (sic Cooling) Castle
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1071:
704:List of castles in England
646:In knowing of whyche thing
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377:weapons by its defenders.
758:Ingleton, Roy D. (2012).
662:In knowing of which thing
582:Gateway to the inner ward
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270:Cooling Castle Gatehouse
682:Scott Robertson, W.A.,
796:. Kent County Council.
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103:51.455441°N 0.523084°E
857:Archaeologia Cantiana
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487:, in an encounter at
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421:(d. 1408), of nearby
919:. English Heritage.
848:Cope, Brian (1927).
445:et tout saunz croys
442:de iii peez longour
347:quadrangular castle
123:Quadrangular castle
108:51.455441; 0.523084
99: /
1005:. English Heritage
976:. English Heritage
617:
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523:Scheduled monument
477:Philip II of Spain
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349:in the village of
345:is a 14th-century
323:Reference no.
283:Reference no.
243:Reference no.
220:Scheduled monument
820:978-0-521-45828-3
771:978-1-84884-888-7
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463:Wyatt's Rebellion
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212:Wyatt's rebellion
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931:on 11 July 2015.
927:. Archived from
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527:English Heritage
515:Rochester Bridge
504:into disrepair.
415:land reclamation
386:Sir Thomas Wyatt
318:21 November 1966
278:21 November 1966
193:Kentish ragstone
137:Site information
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355:Hoo Peninsula
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351:Cooling, Kent
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1007:. Retrieved
978:. Retrieved
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956:. Retrieved
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929:the original
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898:. Retrieved
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741:. Retrieved
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626:crenelations
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434:Henry Yevele
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405:Construction
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184:1380s-c.1554
158:Site history
18:
533:Description
423:Cobham Hall
181:In use
175:John Cobham
106: /
82:Coordinates
1024:Categories
900:8 November
710:References
390:Queen Mary
315:Designated
275:Designated
235:Designated
91:51°27′20″N
33:, England
925:2046-9802
863:: 167–76.
607:Gatehouse
481:Elizabeth
375:gunpowder
359:Rochester
301:– Grade I
261:– Grade I
189:Materials
150:Condition
94:0°31′23″E
693:See also
457:Lollard
400:History
382:against
353:on the
327:1085771
287:1085770
247:1009018
1045:Medway
1009:9 July
980:7 July
958:9 July
923:
817:
768:
743:8 July
519:listed
489:Strood
411:Thames
208:Events
203:rubble
153:Ruined
129:Height
853:(PDF)
550:Wards
521:as a
371:wards
201:chalk
197:flint
166:1380s
163:Built
142:Owner
1011:2015
982:2015
960:2015
921:ISSN
902:2017
815:ISBN
766:ISBN
745:2015
624:and
119:Type
447:."
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885:^
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717:^
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437:"
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
