Lying in a gorgeous scenic location beside the River Medway is the ancient Palace belonging to the Archbishop's of Canterbury, prior to Henry VIII's day. A great survival of the 14th century, the Archbishop's Palace is one of Maidstone's oldest buildings. It is built of Kentish Ragstone, known also as limey sandstone, a sedimentary rock which formed on the seabed of Maidstone millions of years ago, possibly as far back as when dinosaurs walked the earth.
Interestingly, the new door to the present-day Registry Office on the ground floor of the palace is made of shelly oolitic limestone, also of the Jurassic period, it came from Oxfordshire.
The well preserved palace still retains many of its original features, the Medieval great hall is particularly beautiful, this has exquisite wood panelling and elegant tapestry window dressings. A lovely stone fire-place and walls hung with original oil paintings give a timeless impression of the lavish lifestyle of the early princes of the church. This splendid hall, like many other rooms in the palace is let out for a variety of ceremonial occasions including weddings.
The sighting of the ancient palace, accessible by water makes it a highly desirable wedding venue, allowing the modern bride to arrive in romantic fashion by boat or river bus. The sweetly scented gardens surrounding the front of the palace makes the perfect spot to capture on camera memories of a very special day spent amongst the ambience of buildings that have fortunately managed to transcend the hand of time.
Visitors are welcome to tour any of the rooms not in use. Kent Garden Trust cares for the Apothecary's Garden, this can be enjoyed by members of the public on any Wednesday afternoon between May and August.
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