Kearsney Abbey Cafe (ex-Billiard Room), Dover, Kent, UK

Interesting shots John and a nice bit of History

Glad you think so, Chris - thank you! :)

The grounds of Kearsney Abbey near Dover: The billiard room, now used as cafe, is all that remains of the house built by John Fector in 1820-22. Photo taken on May 1st, 2007.

Click to see the lawns leading down to the western lake taken from the bench the two men are occupying in the above photo.

The latest images/photos can be seen by clicking on the "Kearsney Abbey" tag.

Extracts from the plaque inside the Abbey grounds

Kearsney Abbey, on the opposite side of the Alkham Road to the Manor House, was built in 1820-22 by John Minet Fector, son of Peter. It incorporated many remnants of medieval Dover, such as parts of the town walls and churches, which John had collected during redevelopment of the town. Because of its mock medieval appearance the house and grounds were given the title Kearsney Abbey even though there had never actually been such an abbey.

...During the Second World War (1939-45) the house was commandeered as an army headquarters after which the house and grounds were purchased by Dover District Council as a public park.

...A phased programme of demolition began in 1959 and sections disappeared until only the west wing containing the billiard room (now the cafe) remained.

More information, including historical details from the Norman Conquest onwards, can be found here.

From the wikipedia entry for Kearsney Village:

Kearsney is a village in Kent, although at one time it would have been called hamlet due to there being no church in the village. The name is taken from an old Saxon name for a place where watercress grows. Kearsney is situated between the parishes of River and Ewell. Being an administrative part of Dover borough it was part of the parish of River.

The River Dour flows through Kearsney from west to east to form the central lake.

Also see Connaught Park and Pencester Gardens.