Attractions and Places To See around Badlesmere - Top 20

Well worth the minor detour off the surrounding cycle routes to see the picturesque square, with views of the Castle, plus the excellent White Horse pub and an excellent tearoom.

Lovely little village and the cafe is great

In the 12th century a highway was laid out as a grand approach to the Abbey which had survived Henry VIII's dissolution of the monasteries to become a residential area popular with anyone who owed their livelihood to the Creek, whether as merchant, craftsman or seaman. Toward the end of the 19th century its middle-class residents started moving to new houses elsewhere in the town, and many of its properties became tenanted. The new occupiers were often much poorer than their predecessors. Landlords neglected the properties and so the street came to look 'down-at-heel'. Determination to build a 'brave new world' after the end of the Second World War encouraged local councils to sweep away houses that lacked modern amenities. Most of those in Abbey Street qualified, but they were also historic buildings of importance. After intervention by the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings, an ingenious pioneering scheme launched by Faversham Borough Council in the late 1950s saved them from the fate that overtook many of their counterparts elsewhere. Apart from Arden's House (No 80), none of the properties is of outstanding national importance, and so they were not eligible for historic building repair grants. However, collectively they are of national importance, and so the first 'town scheme' was introduced to make them eligible. Most of them were bought by the council under slum-clearance powers, and their occupants re-housed elsewhere. However, instead of being demolished the properties in Abbey Street were sold to sympathetic owners who covenanted with the council to restore them under the supervision of an architect with experience of historic building care. To cover its costs, the council made a slight profit on each - buying the smaller houses for about £250 each and then selling them for about £300. In other historic towns, streets were being brutally widened, but in Abbey Street the carriageway was actually narrowed - the first in the UK - to reduce traffic nuisance. At the same time, the street was planted with trees. Abbey Street is sometimes said to be the finest medieval street in southeast England. It is certainly a wonderful "gallery" of old buildings, mainly timber-framed. As already noted, the ace in the pack is Arden's House, one of the few surviving buildings of Faversham Abbey, and possibly its guesthouse. With 81 (Arden's Cottage), it originally formed a big "open courtyard" house. It dates from around 1450-1500, with remains of the Abbey outer gatehouse of c 1200, which spanned the street here.

A manor house fortified in the 15th century after Sir Thomas Browne, the Comptroller and Treasurer to King Henry VI, was granted a licence to crenellate in 1448. There are 4 towers on the western side and between the 2 northerly towers a timber-framed house has since been built, later refaced with red brick in the 18th century. It is likely that the missing three other curtain walls also had a similar design with towers to produce a square form. On the south-west side the 15th century gatehouse built of flint with a stone arch still stands.

Saint JOHN BAPTIST, to whom this church in Doddington is dedicated, is a person on the threshold of the Old and New Testaments (just like the Holy Family with Mary and Joseph). His parents are Zacharias and Elizabeth. After the announcement of the Incarnation of God through them, the Mother of God visits her relative Elizabeth, who will give birth to a son in old age, namely John the Baptist. He is half a year older than Jesus and is considered his forerunner/pioneer. He lives in the desert, preaches repentance from sin to the Jewish population and baptizes them in the Jordan. Jesus also comes there to be baptized, and is filled with the Holy Spirit who descends upon him from heaven. The feast day of Saint John Baptist in the calendar of saints is June 24th, exactly half a year before 'Christmas Eve'.

On the secondary patronage of this church: "Saint LAWRENCE" is one of the early Christian Roman martyrs from a time when Christianity was still strictly forbidden. He was archdeacon of Pope Sixtus II and after his execution was ordered by the pagan emperor Valerian to hand over the treasure of the church. Laurentius asked for three days to do this, distributed the church's assets among the poor inhabitants of Rome and, after the agreed time, came to the emperor with the poor to present them to him as the treasure of the church. He was then tortured to death. Legend has it that he was roasted alive on a grate - this attribute can be seen in many depictions of Saint Lawrence - over coals. He is said to have been in good spirits and asked his executioner if he would turn him over. The memorial day of Saint Lawrence in the calendar of saints is August 10th, the recorded date of his execution in A.D. 258.

On the main patronage of this church: After the Mother of God, "MARY MAGDALENA" is the woman most frequently mentioned in the writings of the New Testament. Originally known as "Mary of Magdala" - after her place of origin on the Sea of Galilee - the name "Mary Magdalene" has been formed over time. According to the testimony of the evangelists, she is one of the women and men who followed Jesus Christ. According to the biblical accounts, Mary Magdalene is also one of the three who wanted to anoint the body of Jesus on Easter morning after the crucifixion and burial of Jesus and the very first person who ever met the Risen One. Pope Francis has therefore honored her as the 'Apostle of the Apostles', saying at a general audience: + "She shows us the God who knows us humans, cares for us and looks after our lives. Every person is a story of love that God writes on earth. As with Mary Magdalene, the life of every Christian is taken up in this overflowing joy: we have a God at our side who calls us by name and raises us up, who transforms us and the world through his resurrection." The feast day of Saint Mary Magdalene in the calendar of saints is unanimously July 22nd in the major Christian denominations.

I’d avoid the tea and scones and go straight for the local ale or larger on a hot day!