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Archbishop’s Palace Conservation Trust

Archbishop’s Palace Conservation Trust

The Trust was formed in 2017 and aims to engage with a wide range of people from north-west Kent and London. The Trust has been granted a 99-year lease on the site and buildings by Sevenoaks District Council. Otford is strategically positioned on the Pilgrims’ Way between Winchester and Canterbury and a day’s ride on horseback form London. The Archbishop’s Palace in Otford was built in 1514, by William Warham (who became Archbishop of Canterbury in 1503) on the site of three earlier, medieval palaces. It predated Hampton Court Palace, and Cardinal Wolsey took some of the design ideas for his palace from Otford. This is a Palace that was created to be fit for a King - that then fell into ruin and, in the earlier twentieth century was nearly lost to developers.

 

"By using the site and buildings of the Tudor Palace and the Otford Heritage Collection we will be able to promote the understanding and enjoyment by a wide range of people of the heritage of the Darent Valley, thereby engendering their well-being through engagement with that heritage. To achieve this, we will restore the iconic buildings of the Archbishop’s Palace in Otford and create an interpretation centre that will act as a hub for further exploration."