17 Palace Street
This is another of Canterbury’s much photographed timber framed houses, but as with 8 Palace Street most of what we see from the street – in this case an elaborate half-timbered front with wood carvings and curved braces – is a 19th century addition. Pevsner’s Buildings of England describes this as a front ‘of unpromising-looking phoniness’. Conquest House has a bonus attraction in its supposed links with the four knights who came to Canterbury in 1170 to kill Thomas Becket – one is depicted on the hanging house sign. The interior, not accessible to the public, confirms that this is indeed the site of a much earlier house, with a Norman undercroft, flint walls, and first floor hall. For numerous images of the interior see Canterbury Buildings web site.
What to see:
- elaborate but totally recycled half-timbered front (Image 1)
- hanging panel showing one of the four knights (Image 2)
- leaf images on carved brackets (Image 3)
- curved braces (Image 4)
- dragon motifs on house number plate (Image 5)
Access: no public access to interior
Sources: Bateman (2001); Newman (1983); Quiney (1993)
English Heritage Images of England web site at http://www.imagesofengland.org.uk/; Canterbury Buildings web site at http://www.canterburybuildings.com
