The then owner - Richard de Clare, Earl of Hereford - had been one of the barons tasked with upholding the provisions of Magna Carta. However, when that charter failed to secure peace, England descended into civil war. Henry responded by attacking Tonbridge seizing the castle and town along with Gilbert's wife, Alice.
Tonbridge Castle was returned to the family and construction of the gatehouse started at this time. Tonbridge Castle passed to his daughter, Eleanor, who married Hugh Despenser the younger. When the latter fell afoul of domestic politics, the castle along with the Earldom passed to Hugh de Audley. He was a lawyer and tax collector employed by Parliament and accordingly supported that faction upon the outbreak of hostilities.
A Parliamentary garrison was installed at Tonbridge which briefly saw action in June when a Royalist force sallied into the area from Sevenoaks. The castle remained in Weller's control but, following the end of the war, Parliament ordered the defences to be slighted to prevent further military use. During the eighteenth century, Tonbridge Castle was plundered for its stone specifically to support modifications to the River Medway to make it navigable for ships.
Attempts were also made to convert the gatehouse into a fashionable residence but these failed and instead further stone was removed from the curtain walls to construct a small mansion which remained occupied until the nineteenth century. In the castle was purchased by Tonbridge Urban District Council who used the mansion as their new offices whilst the grounds were opened to the public.
The castle was briefly fortified during World War II as part of the 'Ironside Line', a series of anti-tank defences and pillboxes devised by General Edmund Ironside and designed to slow a German invasion of mainland Britain following the defeat at Dunkirk.
Beresford, M. W and St Hoseph, J. S Medieval England - An Aerial Study. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge. Cooper, N Houses of the Gentry, Yale University Press.
Douglas, D. C and Greeaway, G. W ed English Historical Documents Vol 2 Routledge, London. C and Rothwell, H ed English Historical Documents Vol 3 Fry, P. Castles of the British Isles. David and Charles. Goodall, J The English Castle Historic England Tonbridge Castle, List entry Historic England, London. Johnson, P Tonbridge Castle. About Inter-active displays, life size models, dramatic lighting, special effects and a personal audio tour excitingly re-create the life and atmosphere of Tonbridge Castle over years.
It makes a fascinating visit for young and old alike - whatever the weather. Book Tickets. Larger groups are usually split into two groups. What's Nearby. Eating Out. Basically a Norman church from the 14th Century with significant wall paintings of 13th….
Beautiful hillside garden, privately owned by the Rogers family since , extensive…. A later owner, John Hooker, sold stone from the castle to build locks on the River Medway, and in his son Thomas took more stone from the ruined walls to build the residence that now adjoins the Gatehouse. What was left of the once-proud fortress became in turn a private home, a military academy and a prep school until in it was purchased by the Town Council.
The residence became the Council Chamber and offices, and the grounds were opened to the public. Nearly years from its first construction, Tonbridge Castle saw military service once more, as part of a defensive line against possible German invasion in World War 2.
Anti-tank defences and a machine-gun emplacement were constructed, and two pillboxes built into the 13th century walls. Archaeologia Cantiana is available in Tonbridge Reference Library. In the 20th century the Castle became a place of recreation for Tonbridge people.
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