Milton Chantry, Gravesend, Kent
This chantry chapel is all that remains of what was originally the leper hospital of Milton, which was founded by 1155. The hospital was then refounded by Aymer de Valence, Earl of Pembroke in 1321. It became a chantry in 1524. A timber-framed building runs out at right angles from the south wall of the chantry, this was the priests' house. By 1540, following dissolution, the building had come into domestic use and in the late 17th century it was used as a tavern. In 1780 the building was incorporated into the property of the New Tavern Fort as part of the barracks. Whilst in use as a barracks, both the chantry and priests' house were encased in brick during the 19th century. The chantry was sold to Gravesend Council by the War Department in 1930, and during the Second World War the basement was prepared as a gas decontamination centre in anticipation of gas warfare. This site is now in the care of English Heritage (2011).
