Kent History

Hengist and Horsa, leaders of the Saxons, landed in Kent in the 5th century in Pegwell Bay, according to tradition, and so did St Augustine and his party of missionaries from Rome in 597. They made for Canterbury, which is still a magnet for visitors with its magnificent cathedral, the mother church of Anglican Christianity. The Pilgrim's Way footpath to Canterbury follows the long ridge of the North Downs, which cross the county in the north above the M2 Motorway. To the south, in the shelter of the Downs lies the countryside of the Weald with its neat little towns and villages, its hop-gardens and oasthouses, its time-honoured amicable pubs. In the far south-east the wet, flat, cattle-grazed country of Romney Marsh is agog with romantic tales of smugglers.

Local History
From early times Kent became accustomed to invasion and take-over by other nations. Its proximity to Europe made southern England a prime target and the fertile planes and valleys of Kent were no exception. The Romans built elaborate villas and public baths with central heating, and the wonderfully straight roads such as Watling Street, still in use today, some hardly changed. Vineyards flourished on the Kent hillsides long before Kent's famous hop gardens and orchards established the county as the Garden of England - the first cherry tree was planted at Teynham in 1533 by Henry VIII's fruiterer, Richard Harris.

The Saxons built over Roman remains, Norman upon Saxon - Rochester's Norman castle looks down on the diminutive cathedral, founded by the Saxons. Rebuilt centuries later by Bishop Gundulf, this small gem epitomises the sense of peace and harmony radiated by the wealth of medieval buildings in the Medway and Swale areas - Faversham alone has nearly 500 listed buildings. The same county that nourished the builders of the ancient timbered dwellings of such towns, and of the hall houses and clapboard cottages still gracing the peaceful villages, also saw the births and deaths of those who raised small armies to seek justice for their fellows. Calm and tranquillity chime ill with remembrance of these Kentish men and Men of Kent - of Wat Tyler who roused the peasants and marched down Union Street into Maidstone in 1381 (Otterden Manor lost many of its manorial records when the peasants broke in), and of Jack Cade in 1450 - both died when government and royal promises were broken.

Jack Cade's Hole on the North Downs is said to have sheltered him before he was run down and killed at Heathfield. Sir Thomas Wyatt the Younger of Allington rebelled against Queen Mary's proposed marriage to Philip of Spain, and was beheaded for his pains. The Civil War did not spare Kent: Snoad Farmhouse at Otterden is believed to have been a Royalist safe house, but in the last Royalist uprising at Maidstone in 1648, the King's men were defeated by General Lord Fairfax who brought his army across the Medway, and up the High Street to Gabriel's Hill where this final battle was fought. The last armed rising to take place on English soil is said to have been the 1838 Courtenay Riots at Dunkirk.

Many suffered for their faith in Kent, including a priest who was burned in front of his own church door, and although Penenden Heath later became the place of execution, earlier burnings and hangings took place at Fairmeadow - a strange name for a place that saw such deeds. A plaque on Drake's Cork & Cask House nearby commemorates five such martyrs.

Royalty favoured this part of Kent - indeed Faversham uses the Royal Arms as its own, for both Elizabeth I and Charles II stayed here, James II was imprisoned here in 1688 - there is a memorial plaque on a house in Court Street - and King Stephen and Queen Matilda are buried in the Abbey. At nearby Ospringe, Henry III founded the Maison Dieu, now a museum, and Henry VIII honeymooned with Anne Boleyn at Shurland Hall on the Isle of Sheppey, only a few years later to be found in Rochester, awaiting his new bride Anne of Cleves.

Kent's rivers and estuaries, and the sea itself, have played a prominent part in its history, with Sir Francis Drake and Admiral Sir John Hawkins living and working in Chatham, where the young Nelson also began his naval career - the Victory was launched here in 1865. The 17th century Royal Dockyard at Blue Town, Sheerness, where warships were taken for careening, had an exciting and famous career before it closed in 1960: Charles II's visit in 1665 was followed two years later by less welcome visitors, the Dutch raiders, ending in the peace treaty of July 1667. Blue Town is now a conservation area with many listed buildings - one, much visited by architectural students, is of cast-iron framing, for its time rather avant-garde, and a forerunner of the American skyscrapers. Blue Town is so-called because workers built their cottages from the 6ft pieces of wood they were allowed to take home; these were then painted blue with paint 'liberated' from the dockyard. A cottage in Rose Street has been preserved in 19th century style, and doubles as the Sheerness Heritage Centre.

Maidstone is now, if not the centre of nightlife, at least one of the main contenders for the title; there are nightclubs and pubs galore, and at the Lockmeadow Leisure Complex by the river you can visit the 8-screen Odeon Cenema, eat at one of the nearby restaurants, finishing your evening at Jumpin' Jaks or Ikon, or one of the town centre's nightclubs. Cinemas are popular again, none more so than the 9-screen Virgin cinema by the Medway near Rochester - again, after the show you can dance the night away here at one of the clubs, or work out in the nearby fitness centre. Sittingbourne still has its two-screen cinema, and a Mecca bingo hall, but for real nostalgia take a trip to Faversham's listed Royal cinema: one of only two surviving 'Tudorbethan' cinemas in the country, with the only big screen left in Kent and designed to harmonise with the nearby 16th century buildings.

Lovers of music and drama have theatres and halls, large and small, to choose from - Faversham's Arden theatre, the Sheppey Little Theatre in Sheerness, the Avenue in Sittingbourne, and Rochester's Medway Little Theatre. The Medway area is particularly rich in venues. Chatham's Central Theatre offers music and musicals, opera and drama, while at the former town hall, the Brook has two performance spaces - Main Theatre and Studio Theatre hosting concerts, musicals, theatre dance and children's shows. The Space at Gillingham offers dance activities, and amateur drama is presented at Rainham's Oasthouse.

Across the Downs at Maidstone, the Hazlitt presents theatre, dance, concerts and occasional film festivals, and it is worth looking in the local press for amateur and professional events in villages and smaller towns nearby. Wine bars such as - Yorks in Maidstone seem to be around every corner and are popular with all ages, but with the advent of the huge 'mega-pubs', most with music, karaoke or live entertainment, finding a pub with quiet corners for drinking and chatting is often quite difficult. it comes as a relief then to know that none of Faversham's pubs are 'themed', all are still traditional, and many are ancient and listed buildings.

http://www.historic-kent.co.uk/