Justinian Champney’s additions

On the death of Sir John in 1556 the house was inherited by his son, Justinian Champneys. He began to take an active part in the affairs of the county. He also started on a programme of improvement and additions to the house, which seems to have begun soon after 1560. A north-west wing was built extending 40 feet from the old chapel parallel to the servants' quarters at the north east end of the house creating a fashionable half H design. Though more aesthetically pleasing, this design nevertheless suggests that the role of religion within the household may have been significantly diminished, the chapel a mere joining room between the parlour and the new spacious apartments. At the same time the role of the great hall was also downgraded. The dais disappeared. A second bay window was added. To accommodate this change the Minstrel's gallery was narrowed leaving two openings exposed in the south wall. A fireplace, again on the south wall was served by an external chimney. Yet despite all these additions, even the extensions to the kitchens in the north-east wing, the hall was no longer the centre of the house. Its focus had instead switched to the private apartments. Instead with the addition of a grand doorway, the hall became the main entrance to the house.

For the Champneys increased prosperity was marred by a series of tragedies. In November 1565 Justinian Champneys' wife, Helen, died giving birth to a daughter, Elizabeth. Sadly she too died three weeks later and was buried like her mother in Bexley parish churchyard. Justinian Champneys married again, this time to Theodora Blundell. She died in 1582 like her predecessor in child birth, again with a daughter, Theodora. A son, Richard, had been born some time previously. A family dispute, the exact origin of which is simply unknown, caused the elder Justinian Champneys to disinherit his son and heir, also called Justinian, in favour of his younger half-brother Richard, some time before his death in 1596.

Richard Champneys sold Hall Place at the end of the Civil War to Robert Austen, a London merchant.