St Leonard's Tower, West Malling

St Leonard's Tower was constructed in the manor of West Malling, probably between 1077 and 1108, although its exact origins are unclear.[1] Early theories proposed that the tower was a part of St Leonard's Church, the first records of which date from around 1120.[2] This theory suggested that the tower was built by Gundulf, the Bishop of Rochester from 1077 onwards, who owned the manor and constructed Malling Abbey, a nearby nunnery.[3] The tower could have acted as a bell tower for the church, which survived until the rest of the building was destroyed in the 18th century.[4]

Most recent studies have disputed that the tower was ever part of a church, arguing instead that it was a small Norman keep.[5] Architecturally, the tower closely resembles other square keeps of the period.[6] If it was an ecclesiastical building, it would have been extremely large in comparison with the rest of the relatively small church, and there is no evidence to indicate that it ever had a religious function.[6]

It remains likely, however, that it was constructed by Gundulf, based primarily on the history of the land holdings during the period.[7] After the founding of the abbey, which Gundulf granted some of his lands around West Malling, St Leonard's became the administrative centre of Gundulf's remaining estates, before also being given to the nuns a few years later, shortly after his death in 1108.[7] In practice, probably only Gundulf would therefore have had the time or motivation to build such a keep during this period.[7][nb 1]

The tower, seen from the north-west

At some point in the post-medieval period, the tower was deliberately damaged to put it beyond military use, a process called slighting.[8] This probably occurred towards the end of the English Civil War, after the defeat of the Royalist forces in Kent at the Battle of Maidstone.[9] The tower was then owned by Sir John Rayney of Wrotham Place, a Royalist, and would have been an effective lookout tower in any future conflict.[9] There appears to have been an attempt to bring down the whole tower by damaging the stair turret at its base, possibly using gunpowder, which failed due to the spiral staircase's unusually strong design.[10] After this the upper storey of the tower was carefully removed instead, leaving the building roofless.[10]

Various studies of the tower took place from the late 18th century onwards.[11] The antiquarian Francis Grose noted in 1783 that the tower was then called the Old Jail, recording a local tradition that the abbey had used the basement as a dungeon, and the upper storeys as a prison for lesser offences.[12] During this period, the tower was used for drying and stowing hops, probably in advance of their being taken to local kilns.[13] The artist J. M. W. Turner visited and sketched the tower around 1791.[14] A group of French antiquarians visited in 1840, and commented on the considerable age of the building.[15] Around 1863, a hole in the west wall, left by the attempted destruction of the stair turret, was filled with a new entrance way.[8]

In 1915, the owner of the tower, H. J. Wood, discussed selling it to the Commissioners of Works, proposing a price of approximately £1,500; the negotiations broke down.[16][nb 2] By the 1930s, local magistrates expressed concern about the tower and the risk that it might fall over onto the grounds of a neighbouring private asylum, the Kent Sanatorium, endangering the patients.[18] As an alternative to demolition, it was taken into the guardianship of the Office of Works in 1937.[18]

In the 21st century, St Leonard's Tower is managed by English Heritage and the exterior is open to visitors.[19] It is protected under UK law as a Grade I listed building.[20]