OFFERS IN EXCESS OF £2 MILLION
Shurland Hall stands in an elevated situation, on the eastern end of the Isle of Sheppey. It was built in fine red brick with stone dressings in the early 16th-century, as the gatehouse of the seat of the once important Cheyney family. In 1532, Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn visited Sir Thomas Cheyney at Shurland. At the time of their visit the gatehouse would have been free-standing; it was later extended sideways.
The Grade II* listed, Scheduled Ancient Monument has had a rough ride in recent times. By the late 18th-century the gatehouse was in use as a farmhouse, and the great hall and associated structures were already ruinous. Although repairs were carried out in the mid 19th-century, by the 1940s Shurland was disused and decaying rapidly. Following the war, the north tower and much of the north wing collapsed, the theft of lead further accelerated the collapse of the roof and floors.
After many years languishing on English Heritage’s buildings at risk register, the gatehouse was wrapped in scaffold. Most were daunted by the challenge the site presented but its fortunes changed when grant money enabled The Spitalfields Historic Buildings Trust to take it on.
The first repairs were to make the structure wind and water tight. Work commenced in earnest in 2006, reinstating the roof, windows, chimneys and gate towers. Internally, walls and floors have been reinstated and surviving joinery and moulding repaired and replicated. Repairs have been sensitively executed using a specially combined mortar (lime and crushed sea shell, to match the original).
Today the composition of red brick, stone dressings, octagonal towers and decorative chimneys, so reminiscent of the great Tudor gatehouse at Hampton Court, once again stands triumphant overlooking the Thames estuary and the North Sea. Discreetly inserted within are modern services and 5 bedrooms.
Shurland Hall is being marketed and requires a new owner to complete the project. There is still some work to do such as decorating and fitting the house, landscaping the grounds and caring for the ancient remains. For those still keen to do their own restoration, planning consent is also in place to restore and convert the former period farm buildings sited to the north of the hall into 5 residential units.
Agents:
Jackson-Stops & Staff
17c Curzon Street
London W1J 5H
[email protected]
020 7664 6646
Local Conservation Officer:
Peter Bell
Swale House
East Street
Sittingbourne
ME10 3HT
