A “forgotten” national monument left in a sorry state after years of neglect is set to be protected and preserved following a hard-fought campaign.

The Halling Historical Society had pushed for several years to conserve the only remaining wall of the 900-year old Bishop's Palace in the village.

It took hundreds of emails back and forth with Medway Council, as well as Historic England, but the group has now managed to secure vital funds to protect the wall which is “overgrown” with damaging plants.

The Bishop’s Palace was built in the 12th century and was the summer residence of Bishop Gundulf,

He served as the Bishop of Rochester from 1075 to 1108 and was responsible for beginning the construction of the current Rochester Cathedral, as well as being involved with the building of Rochester Castle and the Tower of London.

The wall survived for hundreds of years until a large proportion was demolished to make way for lime and cement works in 1870 and only one wall now remains.

It is a listed ancient monument and has received National Lottery heritage funding, however the local history society says it needs urgent maintenance to preserve it.

They say foliage has been allowed to cover and penetrate the wall and risks compromising it and so have contacted Medway Council to step up management of it.

Philip Badman, secretary of the society, says it’s taken several years to get the council on board with more than 130 emails back and forth.

But he says he’s grateful they have now agreed to remove the damaging plants.

He said: “It is a listed grade-II national monument and it's in the care of Medway Council.

“Even though around 30 years ago Medway Council spent around about £1.5 million landscaping all the area along by the river, they then didn't maintain the wall.

“In September 2021, it really was a decrepit area, totally overgrown - temporary fencing had been around the area for 10 years.

“Unfortunately, it's taken us three years of pressure and pressure on the council before something has been done.”

Mr Badman said some stonework had already been repaired and now the council was to remove the damaging foliage and vegetation growing out of the mortar which will have to be carefully removed so as not to damage the wall.

But while he’s grateful for the support, he said it’s disappointing it took so long.

He added: “We did feel like we’d been forgotten, we're at the very edge of Medway, it's not a big monument and for two and a half years we just were getting nowhere.

“They look after the likes of Upnor Castle and Rochester Castle, they get the attention, and while obviously they attract more visitors, this is a national monument right in the heart of the village of Halling, it deserved not to be forgotten about.”

Medway Council said they had agreed to the felling of a tree, costing £115, and the annual work to remove foliage and ensure the protection of the wall at £365 per year.