The Rosary was a
moat
A moat is a deep, broad ditch, either dry or filled with water, that is dug and surrounds a castle, fortification, building or town, historically to provide it with a preliminary line of defence. In some places moats evolved into more extensive ...
ed house built by King
Edward II of England in
Southwark
Southwark ( ) is a district of Central London situated on the south bank of the River Thames, forming the north-western part of the wider modern London Borough of Southwark. The district, which is the oldest part of South London, developed ...
, to the east of the southern end of
London Bridge
Several bridges named London Bridge have spanned the River Thames between the City of London and Southwark, in central London. The current crossing, which opened to traffic in 1973, is a box girder bridge built from concrete and steel. It r ...
, opposite the
Tower of London.
At this time, much of the land on the south bank the
River Thames was marshy, with sand and gravel islands. Another moated
manor house, Dunley Place, owned by the Dunley family, had been constructed to the west, nearer London Bridge, before 1300. Edward II acquired land to the east of Dunley Place in around 1324, taking a lease from Lady Agnes de Dunley, and started construction of a moated pleasure-house, probably largely built with wood, although some stone walls and buttresses have been discovered by archaeologists. Edward II visited the construction site several times, but it was probably not completed before his death in 1327.
Little remained of Dunley Place and the Rosary by 1440, when the land was acquired by Sir
John Fastolf. He constructed a large moated residential complex on the site, including a
counting house, a chamber for his
round table
The Round Table ( cy, y Ford Gron; kw, an Moos Krenn; br, an Daol Grenn; la, Mensa Rotunda) is King Arthur's famed table in the Arthurian legend, around which he and his knights congregate. As its name suggests, it has no head, implying that e ...
, and a brewery or granary with wharf, all surrounded by a large brick wall with two gatehouses and causeways over the moat. The land was divided after a long-running legal dispute following Fastolf's death in 1459. The area was later used for tidal mills, wharves, and warehouses. The site is now part of
Hay's Galleria (formerly Hay's Wharf) and the
More London site further east towards
Tower Bridge (formerly Gun and Shot Wharf).
References
Southwark (Archaeological Heritage) (Hansard, 24 June 1988)*
Museum London*
ttp://www.gatehouse-gazetteer.info/English%20sites/5001.html The Rosary (The Gatehouse Record)HeritageGateway - Home *HeritageGateway - Home *
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Former buildings and structures in the London Borough of Southwark
History of the London Borough of Southwark
Royal residences in the London Borough of Southwark