Bridge Place

The Manor of Blackmansbury, alias Bridge belonged to the Abbey of St Augustine, a
total of 62 acres and three roods. Was let to tenants until suppression of the abbey in
1539 put it into the King's hands. In 1545 this manor, with divers lands in Houndpit
and Blackmanbury was granted to Henry Laurence to hold in capite by the 20"‘ part of
a knight's fee, and he that year held a court here; and in his descendants it continued
till 1576 when it was alienated by John Laurence to William Partherich, [Harris spells
this Patrick] whose grandson Sir Edward Partherich passed it away in 1638 to
(afterwards Sir) Arnold Braems who built a spacious and magnificent mansion on the
site of the ancient court—lodge, which he named Bridge Place, in which he afterwards
resided, as did his son Walter Braems until his death in 1692; but the great cost of
building this seat so impoverished the estate that his heirs, for he had no surviving
issue, about the year 1704, were obliged to part with it, which they did by sale to
John Taylor, of Bifrons, who soon afterwards pulled down the greatest part of this
mansion, leaving only one wing of it standing, the size and stateliness of which, being
of itself full sufficient for a gentleman's residence, cannot fail to implant in our minds
an idea of the grandeur of the whole building when entire. He died in 1729 since
which this manor and seat has continued in his descendants, in like manner as Bifrons,
down to his {great - {Hasted 2'“ edn}] grandson the Rev. Edward Taylor. (Ed.
Hasted, Vol.3 p724/5).

This was the largest house in 17"" century East Kent after Chilham Castle. It appears
to have been rectangular, certainly with a flat front of nine bays with the main door in
the centre (Illustrations by Schellinks, 1661, and Adriaen Ocker, late 1670s), two
storeyed, but with a row of seven dormers projecting from the hipped roof. Of this
only three bays of the house's left hand end remain.

Some excavations in 1962 by members of the King's School uncovered parts of the
terrace and other garden remains.

Among subsequent owners have been

1849: R Brice, vice-chairman of the Board of Guardians (of the Union)

1890-1897: Oscar de Satgé
1907: Mrs Wilson
1913-15: Seymour Harries
1924-40: Mrs Ethel Penn
1954: Mrs Neame

71962 : Malcolm Pinhorn
1969: Peter Malkin