As part of Heritage Open Days, Chislehurst’s Scadbury Manor in Scadbury Park will be open to the public for two days on September 13 and September 14, giving people the chance to see the inner workings of this historic structure.
Dating back to the 13th century, Scadbury Manor was first established around the year 1200 by the wealthy de Scathebury family.
Over the centuries, it passed through the hands of five families, including the influential Walsingham family, who shaped much of its Tudor heritage.
This affluent home was once an impressive timber-framed manor with a surrounding moat and two fish ponds, and the site is now recognised as an Ancient Monument.
Since 1982, the Orpington and District Archaeological Society (ODAS) has carried out extensive excavations here, unearthing traces of its 825-year history.
In 2014, the site was added to the English Heritage ‘At Risk’ register, prompting urgent conservation efforts, and in 2021 a £151,000 restoration project helped safeguard some of its most vulnerable areas, with repair work to its drawbridge pit and south retaining wall.
During this weekend’s open days, visitors can follow a self-guided trail around the moated manor site, with visitors able to see the Tudor kitchen and great hall foundation, the defences built in World War II and the restored shepherd’s hut.
The manor will be open on Saturday, September 13 and Sunday, September 14, with entry free from 2pm – 5pm and no booking required.
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