St Leonard's Tower, West Malling

St Leonard's Tower
West Malling, Kent
The tower, seen from the south-east
St Leonard's Tower
Coordinates	51°17′17.68″N 0°24′6.87″E / 51.2882444°N 0.4019083°E / 51.2882444; 0.4019083Coordinates: 51°17′17.68″N 0°24′6.87″E / 51.2882444°N 0.4019083°E / 51.2882444; 0.4019083
Site information
Controlled by	English Heritage
Open to the public	Yes
Condition	Ruined
Site history
Materials	Kentish ragstone and tufa

St Leonard's Tower is a probable Norman keep in West Malling, in the county of Kent, England. The tower was probably built by Gundulf, the Bishop of Rochester, between 1077 and 1108. It was a three storey building, constructed of local stone, and would have stood at least 22 metres (72 ft) high. At a later point, probably during the English Civil War, the tower was deliberately damaged to prevent it being used for military purposes, and its uppermost storey was demolished. Concerns grew about the tower's condition in the 20th century and in 1937 it was taken into the guardianship of the state. In the 21st century, it is managed by English Heritage and the exterior is open to visitors.

St Leonard's Tower was constructed in the manor of West Malling, probably between 1077 and 1108, although its exact origins are unclear. Early theories proposed that the tower was a part of St Leonard's Church, the first records of which date from around 1120. 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. 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.

Most recent studies have disputed that the tower was ever part of a church, arguing instead that it was a small Norman keep. Architecturally, the tower closely resembles other square keeps of the period. 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.

It remains likely, however, that it was constructed by Gundulf, based primarily on the history of the land holdings during the period. 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. In practice, probably only Gundulf would therefore have had the time or motivation to build such a keep during this period.