Hales Place

Hales Place
Hales Place is located in Kent
Hales Place
Hales Place
Location within Kent
District
Shire county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townCanterbury
Postcode districtCT2
PoliceKent
FireKent
AmbulanceSouth East Coast

The residential area known as Hales Place is part of the civil parish of Hackington, and lies to the north of the city of Canterbury in Kent, England. The residents include large numbers of students from the nearby University of Kent.[1]

Crime

The area suffers from crime, with the majority of which coming from violent or sexual offences.[2] For every 1’000 people, there is 129.6 crimes at a 14% increase.[3] Antisocial behaviour is the second largest crime.[2] Compared to the surrounding areas of Canterbury, Hales Place is much higher in crime compared to its counterparts.[4] Young people have been notably seen using catapults on local wildlife, this has led to an increased number of police patrols in the area.[2][5] Reported in 2022, the area would suffer from flytipping. With reports and fines sent out.[6] The issue of would come back in 2024, where garbage would be dumped in abandoned garages.[7]

History

Hales Place is named after the old mansion, which was demolished in 1928. Building in the area itself dates to 1227, for a residence for Archdeacon Simon of Canterbury. Two archbishops would die while residing: Thomas Arundel and William Warham. During the Reformation, the house would fall to the hands of the crown, Queen Elizabeth.[8] The house was granted to Sir Rodger Manwood.[9] A mansion would be built beside the older building. Sir Roger Manwood remained, living there with both his son and his grandson.[8] His grandson, John, would then later sell the estate and house to Thomas Colepeppe in 1672.

Edward Hales, 5th Baronet. Painted by Philippe Mercier

Then it would be sold again to Sir Edward Hales, 3rd Baronet of Woodchruch in 1675.[10][11][12] It would then be succeeded by his second son, John.[13] John hales, 4th Baronet of Hackington would die in 1744. John would be succeeded by his son Edward Hales, 5th Baronet.[14] Edward Hales, 5th Baronet, would expand the residence by demolishing the original ancient grounds to construct a mansion. The mansion constructed would be known as 'Hales Place.'[8] He would build the Roman Catholic Chapel known as Belvedere Chapel, which would be a dovecote.[15] He would fall ill and die on the 29th of August, 1802.[10][16][13]

It would fall to his son and the last baronet, Edward Hales, 6th Baronet.[12] The grounds of Hales Place were used for fox hunting during the 1820s.[17] In 1823, Hales Place would be a part of fashionable arrivals, toured around by the European counts and lords.[18] He died with no heir on the 15th March 1829.[19] Demands for the estate would be put on newspaper notices, with no clear succession for Hales Place. Requests were put forward to Mr. Harting in London.[20]

The estate went to Edward's nephew, Edward de Morlaincourt.[11] He would change his surname to Hales. He would marry Edmee Nicole Felicite Pulcherie de Sercey, who was the daughter of a vice admiral. Their daughter Mary Barbara Felicite Hales would be born on December 4, 1835, in Boulogne. Edward would die just two years later on the 12th February 1837.[19] At the age of 1, Mary would inherit the property.[13] She and her mother would live at 4 Victoria Place in St. Dunstan's Ward.[19] Mary would move back to France and into a Carmelite convent for a few years.[10]

There would be a robbery at the Roman Catholic Chapel in 1857. The chapel would be robbed of a silver Chalice, two small silver and brass figures of Jesus Christ on the cross, silver cruets, and a handful of silver spoons.[21] In 1859, Mary Hales became a nun.[19] She planned to turn Hales Place into a Carmelite nunnery.[10] Building plans contained a church, a convent, and farmland within a brick wall. The architect for the project was Edward Welby Pugin from Ramsgate. Work would begin in 1863, with the building contract costing 34,340 pounds.[22] Building plans would fall through due to costs and debts. Mr. Pollen would be commissioned to paint at Hales Place, with work on the life and death of Thomas Beckett, and to decorate the top of the chapel.[23]

Belvedere Chapel
Belvedere Chapel

In 1874, She would give a portion of her estate to Benedictine nuns in Ramsgate.[24] The nuns would make an appeal for £50’000 to create an abbey, with those who contribute getting their names ingrained in a stone slab.[25][24] The estate would be brought in 1880 by exiled Jesuits at the cost of £24,000, and items such as a fine china collection would be sold a few months before.[14][26] It would take the role of a college to train students to become Jesuits, Saint Mary’s Collage. Two buildings would be built for the collage, which expanded the capacity of students to around 1000 students.[27] The wings would consist of a laboratory, a dining hall, chapel, exhibition halls, refectories and dormitories.[15] The building contractor on the job would be Mr J L ward . In celebration of the top brick being placed, the 200 builders dined in the halls with the priests.[27]

The Collage would have a large range of classes, such as blacksmithing, plumbing and carpentry.[28] The college was popular with the French nobility, who sent their sons there to learn away from political persecution in their home country.[26][15] Amongst their students was Teilhard de Chardin, who was a famous paeleontologist and theologian. Nineteen members of the Jesuit collage and young student would be buried at the Belvedere Chapel.[26] In 1899, many of the french Jesuits would leave, and would be replaced by the Sisters Of Notre Dame from London.

It would be maintained by the sisters until 1901, until the Jesuits were exiled from france again. For Jesuits that fled from Lyon, France, Hales place would be a theologise. In 1909, the Lyon Jesuits moved took leave and went to Hastings. Hales place became a home for novice and juniors. By around 1923, the Jesuits would move back in.[19] In 1927 the estate would be auctioned off. The purchase would be finalised in 1928, with the chapel striped bare and furniture further sold at auctions.Trees on the estate were sold off, with only those surrounding the chapel left. Deceased members of the Hales family would be reburied at the chapel.[19][15] Hales place would be demolished in 1928.[19] In 1953, it would then be purchased by the Canterbury City Council for housing. The chapel has a grade II listing and is located by the Tenterden Drive layby.[26][15]

References

  1. ↑ "Hales Place". British Towns and Villages.
  2. 1 2 3 "St Stephen's | Your area". www.kent.police.uk. Retrieved 27 July 2026.
  3. ↑ "Crime Rates, Safety Statistics & Report for CT2 7AP". UKCrimeStats. Retrieved 27 July 2026.
  4. ↑ Amberstudent. "Safest & Most Dangerous Neighbourhoods in Canterbury 2026 Guide!". Amberstudent. Retrieved 27 July 2026.
  5. ↑ "Catapult Seized". www.mycommunityvoicekent.co.uk. Retrieved 27 July 2026.
  6. ↑ "Neighbourhood used as 'dumping ground' by fly-tippers". Kent Online. 7 December 2022. Retrieved 27 July 2026.
  7. ↑ "'They've turned our neighbourhood into a junkyard'". Kent Online. 4 September 2024. Retrieved 27 July 2026.
  8. 1 2 3 "Hales Place at Hackington and its Predecessors". Kent History & Archaeology. Retrieved 26 July 2026.
  9. ↑ Hasted, Edward (1790). The History and Topographical Survey of the County of Kent: Containing the Antient and Present State of It, Civil and Ecclesiastical; Collected from Public Records, and Other the Best Authorities, Both Manuscript and Printed: and Illustrated with Maps, Views of Antiquities, Seats of the Nobility and Gentry, &c. author.
  10. 1 2 3 4 "St.Stephen's, Residents', Association, Canterbury, Kent | History, page four". www.ststephensra.org. Retrieved 26 July 2026.
  11. 1 2 Hales Family Estates. <famname>Hales family, baronets, of Woodchurch, Kent</famname>. 1250–1868.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  12. 1 2 Cokayne, George Edward (1900). Complete Baronetage: English baronetcies, 1611-1625 and Irish, 1618-1625. W. Pollard & Company, Limited.
  13. 1 2 3 "Brief Notes on the Hales Family by the Rev R. Cox Hales - Archaeologia Cantania Vol. 14 1866 page 74". tedconnell.org.uk. Retrieved 2026-07-26".
  14. 1 2 Cokayne, George Edward (1900). Complete Baronetage. Pollard.
  15. 1 2 3 4 5 Doel, Geoff and Fran (15 November 2018). Secret Canterbury. Amberley Publishing Limited. ISBN 978-1-4456-6913-7.
  16. ↑ The Sun (London). “Dead.” September 2, 1802
  17. ↑ Star (London) - Thursday 19 December 1822
  18. ↑ Sun (London) “Fashionable Arrivals” Friday 26 September 1823
  19. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Hale Place, Hackington". www.machadoink.com. Retrieved 26 July 2026.
  20. ↑ Sun (London) - Thursday 25 March 1830
  21. ↑ Caledonian Mercury - Monday 06 April 1857
  22. ↑ Aberdeen Press and Journal - Wednesday 25 November 1863
  23. ↑ West London Times - Saturday 07 October 1865
  24. 1 2 The Illustrated London News. Illustrated London News & Sketch Limited. 1875.
  25. ↑ The Tablet. Tablet Publishing Company. 1876.
  26. 1 2 3 4 Anthony, Father (2 November 2021). "My Thoughts 02/11/21". St Thomas' Church. Retrieved 26 July 2026.
  27. 1 2 The Builder. 1882.
  28. ↑ Pope, Anne (1992) Living in St Stephen's 60-80 years ago
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