Palace History

In 791 (or possibly in the preceding year) Offa, the King of Mercia, gave lands at Otford to Christ Church Canterbury (the 'vill by the name of Otford').

Further gifts of land were made in 820 and 821.  The first, by Coenwulf, the Mercian King and son of Offa and in the following year by Ceolwulf, his brother and successor, who donated to Otford lands bordering the East bank of the River Darent between Shoreham and today's Bat and Ball.

Thomas Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury (1162–1170) it is said, particularly liked staying at Otford, which he did several times over the next eight years.

Following the death of Archbishop Hubert Walter in 1205, there was a prolonged dispute between King John, the monks of Christ Church, Canterbury, and Pope Innocent III over who should succeed him. Stephen Langton was eventually elected Archbishop of Canterbury by the monks of Christ Church in December 1206, and he was consecrated by the Pope in 1207.

John Peckham was a native of Sussex who was educated at Lewes Priory and became a Friar Minor about 1250.

Walter Reynolds was Bishop of Worcester and then Archbishop of Canterbury as well as Lord High Treasurer and Lord Chancellor.

Edward III brought his whole court here to spend Christmas away from The Black Death in London.

The Great Hall (31 metres long and 12 metres wide) was built to seat 200 at dinner

John Stafford was made Archbishop of Canterbury in May 1443 by Pope Eugene IV. He held the until his death on 25 May 1452. He steered an even course between parties as a moderate man and useful official.

Thomas Bourchier was installed as Archbishop of Canterbury on 26^th January 1455 and was subsequently created a cardinal on 18^th September 1467.

In 1514, Cardinal Wolsey negotiated a peace treaty with France which was strengthened by the marriage of Princess Mary, the sister of Henry VIII to Louis XII of France.  Louis was 30 years her senior.  There was a proxy wedding at Greenwich Palace in August 1514 when Louis XII was represented by a French nobleman and the marriage was ‘consumated’ by touching of the bare legs of Princess Mary and the nobleman. 

Archbishop Warham built one of the largest palaces in England covering 1.16ha (about 4 acres), comparable in size to Hampton Court

He later wrote (Ch. Ch. Cant Register T 1526) The buildings of Otford were ruinous by neglect, but now sufficiently repaired and enlarged and a great house has been built with galleries and towers, and various new gardens have also been created. 

Erasmus and Holbein were regular guests.

Erasmus was critical of the old palace writing in 1523 (Ep 14500) Nor should I have found it very attractive before William Warham, the present Archbishop of Canterbury and primate of all England had built there on such a scale that he seemed not so much to have restored an old house as to have raised a new one from the ground, so little did he leave of the old palace beyond the walls of some hall or other and of the church.

Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon stayed here en route to the Field of Cloth of Gold.

Princess (later Queen) Mary stayed here over two summers

Archbishop Cranmer began work on his Book of Common Prayer at the Palace.  It is believed that he finished this work before he left.

Henry VIII became its owner and spent lavishly on it. However, in time, he decided that he preferred Knole House a few miles away in Sevenoaks, because it was less damp, away from the River Darent.

After Henry's death, the Palace fell gradually into disrepair.

Reginald Pole was an English cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church and the last Roman Catholic Archbishop of Canterbury, holding the office from 1556 to 1558, during the Counter Reformation.  He died on influenza on 17th November 1558 - the same day as Mary I.

Queen Elizabeth I took possession of Otford Palace and stayed here during her Royal Progress in 1559.

Following much-publicised masonry falls, Sevenoaks District Council eventually carried out extensive repairs to prevent any further deterioration. These works were completed in 2017