King Edward III’s Manor House

King Edward III’s manor house lies beside the Thames in Rotherhithe, a quiet corner of London. Built around 1350 on a small island, it once stood among several stone buildings arranged around a courtyard. The north wall faced the river while the rest of the complex included a hall with a fireplace, private rooms, kitchens and other service buildings. Records from 1127 show Henry I had already granted half of the manor to Bermondsey Abbey long before Edward III’s time. After the king’s death the house passed first to St Mary Graces Abbey and then to Bermondsey Abbey in 1399. Historians debate whether the house served as a hunting lodge or a falconry, since no royal park was attached. In the 16th century it was sold after the monasteries were dissolved, and by the 17th century it had become a pottery. Warehouses later grew up around it in the 18th and 19th centuries, and the remaining façade still stood in 1907. Demolition of the warehouse in the 1970s led to excavations in the 1980s that uncovered the foundations and preserved what remained. Today parts of the north, east and west walls still rise above ground, the north wall reaching 3.9 metres and the east wall 3.8 metres. The rest of the structure has been reburied after the digs, leaving only the exposed ashlar and rubble sections visible. Nearby statues of Dr Alfred Salter and Ada Salter mark the river’s edge within the scheduled monument area. The site forms part of the Edward III’s Rotherhithe Conservation Area alongside King’s Stairs Gardens.