The Ruins Of King Edward III's Manor In Rotherhithe

If you walk East from London Bridge station along the Thames path, through Bermondsey and Rotherhithe, you will come across a rare medieval historical site.

You will find a collection of stone ruins. They may not look wildly exciting today but they are in fact the remains of a medieval manor house, built in 1350, as a royal residence for King Edward III.

The Warrior King

Firstly, who was King Edward III? King Edward III came to the throne aged 14 and went on to reign from 1327-1377, making him one of the longest serving monarchs in English history.

He is best known for starting the Hundred Years War with France in 1337, transforming England into a significant military power, being on the throne during the catastrophic Black Death, and for reforms to Parliament during his reign, for example, the creation, for the first time, of an upper and lower chamber.

Fit For A King

In 1349, construction began on a new royal residence on the floodplain of the Thames, near Rotherhithe, then just a small hamlet. The Palace of Westminster was still the primary royal residence but he would have had bases dotted all around London.

The King is known to have resided here in Rotherhithe many times up until 1370.

Edward iii Manor House ruins Rotherhithe — _{An artist’s representation of what the manor house would have looked like}

Why was it built? Well, there was no royal park near here for hunting, however, there are documented references to hawks kept at the house in a chamber. King Edward III was a keen falconer, so it makes sense that this was a riverside base for falconry on the marshes.

The site was originally moated around three sides and the fourth open to the Thames.

Edward iii Manor House map — _{Map of the area in the 14th century}

This allowed the King to, at high tide, arrive by boat and moor up against the steps of the gatehouse. Moated properties were most commonly built from 1250-1350 and were usually aristocratic boltholes, with the moat acting as a status symbol and defensive measure.

The house consisted of a hall with a fireplace, kitchens, a chapel and the King’s private chambers. Further south, on dry land, there was an outer court with other outbuildings.

‘La Mote Place’

After the King’s death in 1377, the property was given to the Cistercian abbey of St Mary Graces by the Tower. This was an abbey founded by Edward III in 1350 and located just to the East of the Tower of London. In 1399 they, in turn, granted it to the nearby Bermondsey Abbey.

After the Dissolution of the Monasteries, in around 1538, the manor was given to a man called Robert Lawerde and became known as ‘La Mote Place’ or ‘the Moated Place’. It was around this time that the river was further embanked, cutting off the manor from the river.

It was then leased to multiple owners before being sold to two potters in the 17th century. In the 18th and 19th centuries various warehouses and granaries were built over the site.

Rotherhithe in 1890's — _{OS map from the 1890’s. The ruins are sited where you can see the granary in the centre. Map from Layers of London.}

Redevelopment in 1907 revealed the medieval walls, much of which had been incorporated into the warehouse buildings. They survived up to 6 metres high at this time, including window openings but were sadly predominantly demolished.

War and Rediscovery

The warehouses suffered damage during the Blitz and were pulled down in the 1970s.

bomb damage map Rotherhithe — _{Bomb damage map of the area from the 1940’s, showing damage to the warehouses. Map from Layers of London.}

In the 1980s the area was developed by the London Docklands Development Corporation. The Museum of London also undertook archaeological investigations at the same time and uncovered the remains of the manor house.

ruins Edward iii Manor House Rotherhithe

ruins Rotherhithe Manor House — _{The ruins with the housing development behind}

Although today the ruins look fairly insubstantial, King Edward’s manor house in Rotherhithe is a remarkable survivor. Most of what you can see today are the remains of the North and East walls. They still stand at about 3.8 metres, although most of this is underground.

It is designated as a protected Scheduled Monument and interestingly Historic England say there is a ‘high degree of potential for further investigation’.

For a more intact survivor from King Edward III’s reign, see my blog post on the Jewel Tower here.

To visit the ruins, the nearest tube stop is Bermondsey Station, or Rotherhithe is on the Overground. Perhaps pop into the Angel Pub, dating from 1837, although it is thought there has been a pub on the site since the 17th century, frequented by Samuel Pepys.