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dread me that men do it more for pomp and pride of this world to have a name and worship thereby". Cardinal Wolsey epitomised the worldly ambitions that made the Church vulnerable to the political change that Henry VIII needed to achieve divorce and control over the riches of the Church. During the Dissolution, the Archbishop's Palaces met fates that left little of their architecture intact.


(i) Palaces remodelled

Some buildings, like the Archbishop's Palace at Maidstone, finished up as fine
country houses given to loyal members of the court by a grateful sovereign. The
Tudor modernisation of the Archbishop's Palace at Maidstone changed the building beyond recognition as a 14^th century ecclesiastical property.   

(ii) Palaces destroyed

Some palaces were lost, torn down by a resentful populace and robbed of their
building material.  Others were lost more gradually so that, today, ruinous fragments of a palace can only hint at a glorious past. At Otford, the west tower survives as a ruin with a nearby range converted into cottages.   

(iii) Palaces incorporated into a later building

Fragments of the Palace at Croydon are incorporated into a successful school with modern additions that blend well with what remains of the Palace. Inevitably the architectural evolution of the Palace prevents the onlooker from being able to imagine what the Palace once looked like. However, incorporation in a successful institution ensures the survival of the fragments.   


Conclusion as to historical importance of Archbishop's Palaces in English history

The Archbishop's Palaces are vital evidence of the evolution of the early church from a monastic beginning to a formidable political force in Norman times. The Dissolution in the reign of Henry VIII saw a destructive end to the architectural evidence of the power of the Church in the Middle Ages. Therefore, it is crucial that whatever survived of the Palace network be preserved in order to convey the role the Church played in managing its estates, holding courts in both civil and
religious disputes and enforcing the power of the throne.

 
B.   

Assessment of the heritage value of the Archbishop's Palace at Charing to national history


1.  Overview

Charing is one of the earliest possessions of the See of Canterbury recorded in the 11th Century.  Archbishop Lanfranc (1070-1093) is thought to have been the first to have built a house on the manor and the Archbishop's registers indicate that a palace in Charing was in regular use from the time of Archbishop Peckham (1279 - 1292). The property was seized by the Crown after the Dissolution in 1545 and was subsequently leased to and later sold by Charles I to local farming gentry, notably the Honywoods and the Whelers. Today, the Palace is a part of a

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