Summary

The remains of Cakeham Manor House, 312m SSE of West Cottages.

Source: Historic England

Details

This record was the subject of a minor enhancement on 17 November 2014. The record has been generated from an "old county number" (OCN) scheduling record. These are monuments that were not reviewed under the Monuments Protection Programme and are some of our oldest designation records.

The monument includes the remains of a 13th century manor house, partly re-built and enlarged in the 16th century, surviving as upstanding stone and brick remains and below ground archaeological evidence. It is situated a short distance from the seafront, south of Cakeham Road near East Wittering.

The 13th century and 16th century remains are attached to the northern side of a later farmhouse, which is excluded from the scheduling. A single bay, forming the remains of the great hall of the 13th century manor house, and a vaulted undercroft survive. The surviving architectural details include in situ corbels and an original doorway. Attached to these remains, and included in the scheduling, are 16th century enlargements. These include an embattled red brick tower of irregular pentagonal plan with a hexagonal stair-turret. It has slit windows and original doorcases to the staircase. Attached to the tower is a 16th century bay featuring trefoil-headed windows with dripstones above.

The 13th century manor house was a residence of the Bishops of Chichester. It was ruinous by 1363. A license to crenellate was granted in 1447 and in 1519 Bishop Sherborn built the red brick tower as part of a larger scheme. The main farmhouse, to the south of the tower and excluded from the scheduling, comprises an 18th century west range and early 19th century east range.

The upstanding remains are Grade II* listed.

Source: Historic England

Reasons for Scheduling

Manorial centres were important foci of medieval rural life. They served as prestigious aristocratic or seigniorial residences, the importance of their inhabitants being reflected in the quality and elaboration of their buildings. Local agricultural and village life was normally closely regulated by the Lord of the manor, and hence the inhabitants of these sites had a controlling interest in many aspects of medieval life. Manorial sites could take on many forms. In many areas of the country the buildings were located within a moat. Other manors were not moated their status being indicated largely by the quality of their buildings. This latter group of manorial centres are the most difficult to identify today because the sites were not enclosed by major earthwork features, such as a moat, which may survive well, and the original buildings often exhibited a fairly unplanned layout which could extend over a large area. Continued use of the site has also in many instances led to destruction of medieval remains. Hence examples of medieval manorial centres of this type which can be positively identified and demonstrated to have extensive surviving archaeological remains are relatively rare.

The remains of Cakeham Manor House, 312m SSE of West Cottages survive well with some significant 13th century masonry and architectural details. The 16th century enlargements are also of architectural and historic interest. The area in and around the upstanding remains of the manor house will contain below-ground archaeological and environmental information relating to the history and use of the site.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Other
West Sussex HER 16 - MWS1742. NMR SZ79NE14. PastScape 462174. LBS 301508.

Source: Historic England