Temple Manor
Temple Manor
4
Full view
Top ways to experience nearby attractions
The area
Address
Reach out directly
Best nearby
Restaurants
402 within 3 miles
Attractions
127 within 6 miles
Contribute
Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
4.0
39 reviews
Excellent
17
Very good
14
Average
6
Poor
1
Terrible
1
Peter S
9 contributions
Jul 2023 • Couples
This place was originally built around 1240 and then added to before becoming almost derelict. They don't sell it to you. I think a lot more could be done to make site interesting and relevant. The staff there on the Sunday we visited ignored us completely until we tried to go in their 'office'.
Written July 30, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Wymroyal
7 contributions
Aug 2023
I grew up in this area and knew Temple Manor existed but having moved away it has taken me almost a lifetime actually to visit it. Why did I wait so long?? A little gem of a building, such history, and doubly surprising to find it in such industrial surroundings. I was lucky to be visiting the area on a day that Temple Manor was open. Do add it to your itinerary - it doesn't take long to look around but I'm so glad I've been at last.
Written August 19, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Stewart C
Chatham, UK1,110 contributions
Oct 2018 • Couples
We visited Temple Manor in Stood on a Sunday morning having been meaning to come here for a while. I knew a little about the building from a meeting at the Rochester Guildhall the previous year but was not even sure of its location.
After some investigations we found that the site is owned by English Heritage and is run on their behalf by Medway council. It was not clear (to us) if there was any parking available for the site, however on turning up there is limited free parking here.
Temple Manor is located in Strood in Knights Road and is fairly easy to get to by car, note that it is located in an industrial estate and looks a little out of place in this industrial landscape. That said, once in the site, the trees and the bushes hide most of the surroundings and from the inside it is surprisingly secluded and tranquil.
On the morning of our visit, there were two other visitors and during our visit there was a few families turned up as well. We were welcomed to the building by a lady who seemed quite friendly and willing to help with any queries, we thought that she was an excellent ambassador for the manor. There did not seem to be any entrance fee although a voluntary donation box was prominent.
The manor house is not large, and the four rooms are effectively unfurnished, however we were supplied with a small tablet device which gave a virtual tour of each room highlighting items of interest and also an interactive description of the Manor, its history and association with the order of the Knights Templar.
In the oldest part of the building there is a downstairs ‘cellar’ room with an impressive example of a vaulted brick roof comparable to the examples we have seen at Battle Abbey and also in a pub restaurant in Rochester High Street. Above this room is a chamber with arched alcoves and a hard floor supported on the vaulted roof below, there is also a central fireplace which is a later addition. At one end was a collection of clothes allowing children to dress up as a Knight Templar monk which we thought was a nice idea.
An interesting Sunday morning visit, worth a visit if you have an interest in historical buildings, the order of the Knights Templar or even just curious. The visit need not take too long and indeed the length of your visit will probably be proportional to your reason for going. We found access was easier than we initially thought and the time we spent investigating prior to our visit was well spent.
After some investigations we found that the site is owned by English Heritage and is run on their behalf by Medway council. It was not clear (to us) if there was any parking available for the site, however on turning up there is limited free parking here.
Temple Manor is located in Strood in Knights Road and is fairly easy to get to by car, note that it is located in an industrial estate and looks a little out of place in this industrial landscape. That said, once in the site, the trees and the bushes hide most of the surroundings and from the inside it is surprisingly secluded and tranquil.
On the morning of our visit, there were two other visitors and during our visit there was a few families turned up as well. We were welcomed to the building by a lady who seemed quite friendly and willing to help with any queries, we thought that she was an excellent ambassador for the manor. There did not seem to be any entrance fee although a voluntary donation box was prominent.
The manor house is not large, and the four rooms are effectively unfurnished, however we were supplied with a small tablet device which gave a virtual tour of each room highlighting items of interest and also an interactive description of the Manor, its history and association with the order of the Knights Templar.
In the oldest part of the building there is a downstairs ‘cellar’ room with an impressive example of a vaulted brick roof comparable to the examples we have seen at Battle Abbey and also in a pub restaurant in Rochester High Street. Above this room is a chamber with arched alcoves and a hard floor supported on the vaulted roof below, there is also a central fireplace which is a later addition. At one end was a collection of clothes allowing children to dress up as a Knight Templar monk which we thought was a nice idea.
An interesting Sunday morning visit, worth a visit if you have an interest in historical buildings, the order of the Knights Templar or even just curious. The visit need not take too long and indeed the length of your visit will probably be proportional to your reason for going. We found access was easier than we initially thought and the time we spent investigating prior to our visit was well spent.
Written October 13, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Phill2610
Gosport, UK637 contributions
Apr 2016 • Couples
Read about this house and decided to visit. What a wonderful surprise to find this interesting little house. The Lady looking after the place we very cheerful and very happy to answer all our questions. Great place to visit - you'll be surprised at what you'll find here.
Written April 10, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
162LouiseM
Rochester, UK132 contributions
May 2012 • Friends
My husband is a Free Mason so we were keen to explore the Temple Manor. Great historical place to visit which makes you think about many of the other names given to places in Strood and Rochester, such as Chapter School, Knights Place, Temple Manor etc. This should be the start of your history lesson and your investigations around this topic, not the end of it...
Written April 2, 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Stewart C
Chatham, UK1,110 contributions
Apr 2023
We visited Temple Manor in Strood in April with our grandchildren as part of a children’s Easter hunt activity organised by Medway council. The building is tucked away in Knights Road a little away from the centre of the town. We chose to drive here and there is a reasonable amount of free car parking here for visitors. Public busses serve the area and the mainline railway station is about a mile away. Note that there are no visitor toilet facilities on site.
The manor building is owned by English Heritage but operated by Medway council and access is free to all visitors. The Manor was built in the 13th century by the Knights Templar, a military and religious order founded during the Crusades and provided lodging for members of the order travelling between Dover and London.
The building is not large but there are some interesting things to see including a fine example of a stone vaulted chamber roof supporting an earthen floor for the room above. The upper room contains traces of a past containing many modifications to the building’s fabric and this is discernible in the bricked up arches and fire places for long removed upper floors.
The staff running the manor are very friendly and helpful and there is a free audio guide helping the visitor translate the different parts of the building. Both the rooms and grounds have a good amount of information which may be read by the visitor concerning not only the buildings use and development, but also a short history of the Knights Temple organisation.
The manor building is owned by English Heritage but operated by Medway council and access is free to all visitors. The Manor was built in the 13th century by the Knights Templar, a military and religious order founded during the Crusades and provided lodging for members of the order travelling between Dover and London.
The building is not large but there are some interesting things to see including a fine example of a stone vaulted chamber roof supporting an earthen floor for the room above. The upper room contains traces of a past containing many modifications to the building’s fabric and this is discernible in the bricked up arches and fire places for long removed upper floors.
The staff running the manor are very friendly and helpful and there is a free audio guide helping the visitor translate the different parts of the building. Both the rooms and grounds have a good amount of information which may be read by the visitor concerning not only the buildings use and development, but also a short history of the Knights Temple organisation.
Written April 29, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
TorontoToStart
Toronto, Canada259 contributions
Jul 2019 • Solo
Steeped in history, religion, intrigue, mystery and beautiful architecture - Temple Manor is a beautiful example of a building from roughly 1240 attributed to the Knights Templar. Well worth the visit - in fact a must visit if you love history, British history, religion and of course architecture. Well done English Heritage and the Medway Council for saving and presenting this very important piece of Kent history. The building is simply stunning and fascinating an absolute delight to see - once found! It is located in the bowels of a grimy industrial estate but that seems only to elevated its status as a sanctuary and oasis of calm. I chose the perfect day to visit. Late morning with bright sunshine peaking though bits of overcast - added too to the experience. The light as it broke through glazed over the brickwork and the earlier magnificent stone walls. I was the only one on the site and had it all to myself apart from the lovely woman who was its carer for the day. She was welcoming and engaging and I roamed and contemplated while I wandered around. I loved my visit - perhaps even more as I achieved finding it after arriving at the Strood train station. Many thanks to the very kind woman who did steer me in the correct direction and was ever so kind.
So is it worth the mission to find it - as they say on Britain's Got Talent - "it is a big fat YES from me"!
So is it worth the mission to find it - as they say on Britain's Got Talent - "it is a big fat YES from me"!
Written July 7, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
suscame
Chatham, UK169 contributions
Sep 2018 • Couples
My grandparents used to live in Temple Street, Strood. The road was demolished to make way for a large shop. My nan often used to mention Temple Manor and tell me I should look at it. 50+ years later I have. It is an oasis of calm amidst the current industrial park activity. It is open at weekends. Fascinating place to look around for 30 minutes or so. Free to enter, but there is a box for donations. There is a lady to ask for any information required. So glad to have finally been. I hope that it is looked after and cherished for future generations to enjoy. X
Written September 9, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
B N
Kingston upon Thames, UK247 contributions
Sep 2017 • Solo
Not bad interesting building very well preserved and worth spending half an hour on it . Free of charge. In the middle of an industrial estate
Written September 23, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
John D
15 contributions
Sep 2016 • Friends
A very nice and hugely significant site. It's such a pity that the development around the site is so poor. Do visit!
Written September 28, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
No questions have been asked about this experience
Is this your Tripadvisor listing?
Own or manage this property? Claim your listing for free to respond to reviews, update your profile and much more.
Claim your listing