Milton Chantry
| Milton Chantry | |
|
Kent | |
|---|---|
 Milton Chantry within New Tavern Park | |
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | TQ65257434 |
| Location: | 51°26’38"N, -0°22’35"E |
| History | |
| Built 1322 | |
| Information | |
| Owned by: | English Heritage |
| Website: | Milton Chantry |
Milton Chantry, is a former chantry chapel in Gravesend in Kent, situated within the Fort Gardens. It houses the Chantry Heritage Centre displaying a range of exhibits relating to Gravesend, Northfleet and the nearby villages.
The chapel is a Grade II* listed building.[1]
History
Milton Chantry is the oldest building in the town and its surrounds. It was built in 1322 by Aymer de Valence the Earl of Pembroke as a chantry chapel and is named for the parish in which it was built, Milton.
The chapel is all that remains of the Hospital of St. Mary the Virgin leper hospital.[1][2] As a chantry, it was built to say prayers for the souls of the dead, a common practice in the Middle Ages, its endowment used to pay for a priest.
The Milton Chantry housed a number of priests appointed by the Bishop of Rochester until around 1524.
At the Henrician Reformation, all chantries were dissolved and their lands and endowments fell to the hands of the Crown. The building then became a family home (after a few alterations) and farm but by the end of the 17th Century it had become an inn and tavern name New Tavern.[1]
Between 1780 to 1918, New Tavern Fort occupied the area around the chantry building. The tavern was converted into part of the fort's barracks. The New Tavern Fort was significantly altered between 1868 and 1871 under the direction of Charles George Gordon. The tavern/barracks were restored in 1852 and 1862.[1]
In 1932, the fort was converted into a park for the residents of Gravesend. During the Second World War, the basement of the chantry chapel was converted into a gas decontamination chamber.[2] Following the war, the chapel was then converted into the local museum named the Chantry Heritage Centre. It is under the care of the Gravesend Local History Society.
Outside links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Milton Chantry, Kent - British Listed Buildings
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 National Monuments Record: No. 413595 – Milton Chantry