LostLandscapesLostLandscapes

An ancient burial ground,a tiny medieval church (picturedright) and Britain’s first orchard nature reserve.These are justsome of the highlights on the Lost Landscapes Heritage Trails inthis booklet - two new circular walks from the North DownsWay.

The main trail takes you alongside the River Stour, past the tinyancient settlements of Horton and Milton,then through ancient wood-land,culminating with the spectacular views and prehistoric heritage ofChartham Downs.The second trail follows the North Downs Waythrough the northern part of the parish, focusing on local field names.

The main text of the booklet consists of detailed directions andinformation on points of interest for the main trail. The secondary trailhas no detailed directions but the route is shown on a map and thereare notes to help you and information on points of interest.

The Lost Landscapes project

With grants from the Heritage Lottery Fund (through the LocalHeritage Initiative) and the Rail Link Countryside Initiative, the Lost Landscapes project,organised bythe North Downs Way National Trail,has been taking place in six communities along the NorthDowns. People in these communities have been looking into the heritage and history of their areaand discovering what it is that makes their parishes special.Their contributions are the backbone ofthis series of trail booklets.

The Chartham Heritage Trails have been carefully designed to take in the best heritage features ofthe area. As you walk you will find that the history has been brought to life by the contributions oflocal people.

Enjoy your journey back in time!

CharthamH E R I T A G E T R A I L S

MAIN TRAIL

This trail is shown in purple on the map o p p o s i t e.B e l ow are detailed written dire c t i o n s ,and i n formation on the main points of interest which c o rrespond to capital letters on the map.

S t a rt at Chartham railw ay station.

From start to point A

1 .Walk into the village, t owa rds the ch u r ch ,past a petro ls t a t i o n . Pass a large playing field on your left and a shop onyour ri g h t .Pass the ch u r ch on your ri g h t , and some publictoilets and a car park on your left. Just befo re the ro a dc rosses the River Stour, look for a footpath signpost off toyour left, opposite Arjo Wiggins Chartham Pa p e rs.

POINT A - PAPER MILL

Milling around for hun-dreds of yearsC h a rtham paper mill may look like a modern

industrial site now, but the history of milling heregoes back centuries.The mill would have been one off i ve mentioned in the Domesday Book,used fo rgrinding corn.An early re fe re n c e,dated 1438,held atC a n t e r b u ry Cathedral A rc h i ve s , states that two mill-wrights agreed to construct a water- p owe red fullingmill where woven cloth was softened and smoothed.

It was transformed into a paper making mill in 1730,described in a new s p aper at the time as…

“…containing two engines, t wo vats and all otherutensils and conveniences necessary for the makingof pap e r, together with a ve ry good dwelling house”

By 1857, it was in the possession of W i l l i a mWe a t h e r l ey,who helped transform not only the mill,but the whole paper making pro c e s s .He dive rted thew a t e rc o u r s e,and installed the first air drier ever tobe used in paper making,at a cost of £8,000,as we l las building The Grange, a beautiful house with land-s c aped gard e n s .By the 1860’s the mill produced 8tons of paper per we e k .

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A b o u t t h e t r a i l s . . .

The map to the left shows the trail ro u t e s ,and the booklet contains detailed written directions in nu m b e red steps,but you may find it useful to use Ordnance Survey maps of this area - Explorer nos.149 and 150 or Landrangern o. 1 7 9 .Getting to Chartham (main trail)By train - Chartham station is on the A s h fo rd - C a n t e r b u ry West line between Chilham and Canterbury We s t . Fo rtrain times telephone 08457 484950.By bus - service number 652 (Ashfo rd - Canterbury via the A 2 8 , not Sunday s ) . For bus times contact Stagecoachon 08702 433711.By car - Chartham is located just off the A28 between A s h fo rd and Canterbury.F rom A s h fo rd : keep on A28 pastWye and Chilham;pass a right turn for Shalmsfo rd Street and take the next right, signposted Chartham intoStation Road;go over level crossing and park in village.F rom Canterbury :Ta ke the A28 through T h a n n i n g t o nW i t h o u t , turning right at a ro u n d a b o u t ;pass an industrial estate and turn left, signposted Chartham into StationR o a d ; go over level crossing and park in village.

Getting to Chartham Hatch (secondary trail)By train or bus - Walk up Hatch Lane from station or bus stop on A28 and join the trail at point B.By car - Fo l l ow directions for main trail but take turning opposite Station Road called Hatch Lane.Go over leve lc rossing then take second right (Town Lane) and fo l l ow into Chartham Hatch.T h e re is some on-street parking inthe village (please don’t park in village hall car park and be considerate to re s i d e n t s ) .Be safe,be pre p a re dPlease take care when walking on roads (use pavement if available or keep to the right) and when crossing ro a d sor railw ay s .Points where caution should be exe rcised are highlighted on the map and in the text.A lw ays wear suit-able clothing and fo o t we a r.A l l ow plenty of time for your walk - about an hour for eve ry 2 miles (more for elderlyor inexperienced walke r s ) .A lw ays keep to the countryside code (see back of booklet).

M ap key Main route Secondary routePoint of interest in text - main routePoint of interest in text - secondary routeCAUTION at this point

Steep climbBenchViewpointSteps

A

a

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fifteenth or early sixteenth century.The central hall,possessing some fine oak beams and crown posts,a reof this earlier period.

The flint chap e l ,which can be glimpsed behind and tothe left of the manor house,dates from about 1300.In a decree from 1380, it was given permission to celebrate most privileges as those of the motherc h u rch in Chart h a m ,a rare case for a private familyc h apel to be allowed to perform almost all re l i g i o u srites except burials.

It has not been used as a place of worship for almost300 ye a r s , though it was not wholly neglected,a hopoast being added to the re a r,and the interior beingused as a barn during this period of disuse.

Though today it is in much need of re p a i r,a tre fo i l -headed piscina can still be found inside,while outsidea rare double-arched bell gable still exists. It is the bellgable you will be able to see from this position.

From point C to point D

6 .Continue straight ahead,on the ri v e rside path, t h rough ametal kissing gate and into a fi e l d .

7 .Continue alongside the river until you come to ane m b a n k m e n t .Climb the steps up the side and back dow na g a i n .Go through a metal kissing gate.

POINT D - FLOOD PLAIN GRASSLANDS

Lost meadows of the StourAt one time the riverside land you have been walkingt h rough would have been managed as meadows - fullof wild flowers and insects in summer and flooded inw i n t e r.

Tr a d i t i o n a l ly,m e a d ows we re sited where the landwas prone to regular flooding because the hay cut

was used to feed livestock thro u g hthe winter,and flooding s u b s t a n t i a l ly increased the hayy i e l d ,depositing fe rtilising nu t r i e n t sover the meadow.M e a d ows we reu s u a l ly permanent and highly v a l u e d ,because the establishmentof re a l ly high yielding grasslandtook many years befo re the arr i v a lof modern fe rt i l i s e r s .

In the early medieval period, t h eamount of meadow land wasp ro b a b ly re l a t i ve ly small.The factthat meadows get special mentionin many Anglo-Saxon charters suggests this.The Domesday bookconfirms that most places had ve ry

small amounts of meadow, located mainly on flood-p l a i n s .The amount of meadow is thought to havei n c reased into the late mediaeval period.

The earliest map s ,of the 16th century, s h ow that bythis time almost eve ry floodplain,even those of smalls t re a m s ,was occupied by meadow.T h e re we re bothp r i v a t e ly owned and common meadow s , the latterbeing divided into strips called ‘ d o l e s ’ ,defined bys t a kes or stones,often re-allocated to commonersa n nu a l ly by a draw.

M a ny meadows we re lost during the 20th century,‘ i m p roved’ by drainage and artificial fe rt i l i s e r s ,ploughed up or,as is the case with many in the StourVa l l ey,turned over to pasture.

From point D to point E

8 .Continue on the ri v e rside path with a lake on your left.Come to a metal bri d ge over the river and cross it.

CAU T I O N :You are about to enter an aggregates pro c e s s-ing site.Keep strictly to the marked path, fo l l owing signs fo rFP487 and bewa re large vehicl e s.

9 . Fo l l ow the signs back along the river a short distancethen left,up some steps.C ross a very small metal bri d ge.Go straight ahead towa rds a stile.

1 0 .C ross the stile and turn left, fo l l owing the edge of afi e l d .You will see a flint ch u r ch on your left.

POINT E - MILTO N

The uses of flint - ancientand modernAlthough the manor house no longer stands,h av i n gbeen demolished in 1959, the manor of Milton datesback at least to 1044,when it was known as

The How a rd family acquired the mill in 1871,and bythe 1880’s the output had risen to 20 tons per we e k .It had one of the best reputations in the country fo rthe production of high quality pap e r,used for writing,account books and banking,and had been brought upto date with a major overhaul of the paper makingm a c h i n e ry.

In the 1930’s , as a result of a mistake made when toomuch vegetable starch was added to the paper mix-t u re, translucent paper was pro d u c e d .This becamethe basis for the high quality Gatew ay Natural Tr a c i n gP aper that the mill is so famous for today.

From point A to point B

2 .Fo l l ow the footpath sign along the ri v e rs i d e. Fo l l ow theri v e rside path until you come to a weir and the confluenceof two bra n ches of the ri v e r.

POINT B - TUMBLING BAY

A lost port?This point,w h e re the mill leat rejoins the Great Stouris known locally as ‘ Tumbling Bay ’ ,once a popularplace for local children to sw i m . Local re s i d e n tVe ronica Litten relates the tale of a local boy namedFaulkner who rescued his friend from drowning here.In recognition of his brave ry he was given an aw a rdby the Boy Scouts,while his picture hung for manyyears in the village school.

Two fields not far from here,on the other side of ther i ve r,k n own locally as Ship and Po rt Field seem tof u rther hint at a history of the Great Stour as a n avigable waterway as Ve ronica Litten writes in herbook Chartham's Heritage…

“The land where Stour Road and Stour Close nowstand was called Ship Field.When building commenced the remains of an ancient boat we reu n c ove re d ,but as soon as it was exposed to the air itd i s i n t e g r a t e d .Was this once the site of a port ? ”

It seems that this is more than local fo l k l o re.L a n d s c ape heritage expert Dr Nicola Bannister backsup the stories:

" R i ver Stour - this was pro b a b ly navigable up to Wyein the early medieval period..."Stour Valley Historic and A r ch a e o l ogical LandscapeA s s e s s m e n t

From point B to point C

3 .Continue along the ri v e rside path,w h i ch soon takes youinto a more open are a . Pass two lakes on your left. ( T h e s ea re dis-used gravel pits.)

4 . Stay on the ri v e rside path. Just past a carved benchmade from a tree trunk, look on the other side of the ri v e rfor a weir then a group of buildings close to the ri v e r.T h el a r ge old house is Horton Manor.Walk a little way furt h e r,keep looking across the river and you will glimpse the bellcot of Horton Chapel behind and to the left of thehouse (it may be difficult to see in summer).

POINT C - HORTO N

Graves and gables at thefilthy farmsteadEarliest written re c o rds of this farmstead date backto 874 A D,w h e re it is re c o rded as Horart u n ,f ro mthe Old Englishhohr tun meaning amu ddy or 'filthy 'f a r m s t e a d .I n t e resting arc h a e o-logical finds havebeen unearthed inthis are a , including ab ronze crucifo r mb ro o c h ,b e l i eved todate from the fifthor early sixth c e n t u ry.

F u rther excav a t i o n sh ave revealed evidence of a c e m e t e ry andtraces of a building.T h ree of the sixg r aves found we ree x a m i n e d ,reve a l i n gtypical Saxon grave go o d s ,whilst pottery from theremains of the building suggested it had beenabandoned sometime in the eleventh or twelfth c e n t u ry.

The current manor house,which is the large,o l dbuilding you can see on the other side of the rive r,though undergoing refurbishment and re-facing in thenineteenth century,a c t u a l ly dates from the late

Tumbling bay

You can just see the bellcot of Horton chapelthrough the trees.

Drawing of Horton chapel when used as a barn (early 1900s)

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out into open fi e l d s.Keep straight ahead, c rossing a smallv a l l e y. Stay on by way until you see a play area on the leftand new houses on the ri g h t . Turn right and cut through toChestnut Close. Turn left and go through bollards andunder the arch way ahead. Go straight ahead into Godfre yG a rdens and keep ahead past the Water Tower and as h o p . At end of road go straight ahead on path betweenh o u s e s. Turn left at the end into Little Copse Close andright into Magnolia Dri v e. Then left into Lime Close andfo l l ow path through the woods.At end of path turn ri g h tonto tarmac path.N ow fo l l ow directions from step 37 onp a ge 10,w h i ch will take you back to Chart h a m .

To stay on the long trail:

1 4 .Turn ri g h t , then take the next left - a bri d l eway into thewoods

POINT F - LARKEY VALLEY WO O D

A regenerating woodland In 1932,L a r key Va l l ey Wood was donated to the people of Canterbury by the Mayo r,Alderman FrankH o o ke r.This are a ,a Site of Special Scientific Intere s t ,has a mixture of chalky soils with acidic clay s ,a n dthese diffe rences produce contrasting ve g e t a t i o nt h roughout the wo o d .Of particular note is the spectacular display of woodland flowers during thes p r i n g , including bluebells and wood anemones.

One species of orc h i d ,O rchis purpure a , is fo u n dalmost exclusive ly in the Kentish chalk wo o d l a n d s .I tis known more commonly as the lady orc h i d ,due tothe resemblance of the flowers to ladies in bonnetsand crinolines.

L i ke much of Ke n t , this woodland was damaged during the great storm of 1987 but thanks to thep ower of nature,and the effo rts of Canterbury CityC o u n c i l ,much of this area has undergone considerable re g e n e r a t i o n .

The northern area is managed as coppice and thechalky banks (which lost many beech trees) havebeen left to regenerate naturally. H e re a mix of tre e ssuch as ash and hazel has emerged,whilst on them o re acidic soils of the central ridge, hornbeam andsweet chestnut pre d o m i n a t e.

In the south of the wo o d s ,m a ny of the destroye dt rees have been left to decay where they fe l l ,p roviding an extre m e ly useful habitat for all the floraand fauna which flourish in this are a .

From point F to point G

1 5 .Keep straight ahead through the wood unless marke rstell you otherwise.R e a ch a T junction and turn ri g h t .Pass a

l a r ge beech tree then take the next footpath off to the left.

1 6 .E m e r ge into a large field and walk straight aheadt owa rds the end of a long hedge/shelter belt. (This is agood view p o i n t . )

POINT G - CREMATION BURIAL SITE

A Roman's last resting placeNot far from here a Roman urn and a Samian paterawe re unearthed in 1949.A patera was a religious ritual dish for the drinking or offering of drink to thegods as part of the libation ritual.

It seems highly like ly that this was the site of aRomano-British cremation burial,dating from ro u g h ly100 A D.The pottery is now in the care ofC a n t e r b u ry Museum,but unfo rt u n a t e ly further e x c avations in the surrounding area produced noother finds.

From point G to point H

1 7 . Pass the shelter belt/hedge,and keep straight ahead,n ow on a tarmac farm tra ck .Walk past a house on yourleft and keep straight ahead at a cro s s - ro a d s.

POINT H - NEW HOUSE FA R M

New House four hundredyears oldAlthough the building on the left is known as NewHouse Farm, it in fact dates from the seve n t e e n t hc e n t u ry.Ve ronica Litten writes…

"The building is unusual in that it is supported entire lyon beams.In the scullery is a well 190 feet deep.Twofarm wo r kers’ cottages we re built in 1890 beside theb r i d l ew ay.These now have been conve rted into oned we l l i n g .”

From point H to point I

1 8 .Keep straight ahead,with a hedge on your left and afence on your ri g h t .When the fence meets a tall hedge at90 degre e s, turn right onto a fo o t p a t h ,walking alongsidethe tall hedge.

POINT I - IFFIN WO O D

An abandoned manor in anancient woodlandThe woodland you can see across the fields to yo u rleft is Iffin Wo o d .The presence of spindle,w h i t e b e a mand Midland hawthorn all indicate that this is a longestablished wo o d l a n d , and the area as a whole,w h i c hincludes Little Iffin Wo o d , includes at least 32 ancientwoodland indicator plant species.The ground flora

M e l e n t u n . In the thirteenth century it was held by SirR o b e rt de Septvans,a crusader knight.A tiny flintc h u rch dedicated to St John the Baptist dates fro mthis period.

A c c o rding to a story related by Ve ronica Litten,t h ec h u rc hy a rd contains the bodies of the German poet,Hermann Stoer and his wife.T h ey we re found in an e a r by wo o d , and an inquest decided the poet hadshot his wife through the head,then committed s u i c i d e.Some 300 people witnessed the burials.

By the 1980’s ,with only six residents in the parish ofM i l t o n ,s e rvices we re abandoned and the church fe l linto disuse.

This part of the Stour Va l l ey has been transfo r m e ds i g n i f i c a n t ly by the development of the aggre g a t eextraction industry.By the 1950’s , the company A . H .H o o ker was employing 29 men,q u a rrying aggre g a t e s ,(sand and grave l ) , for use as construction materials.Some excavation pits went down to depths of 20fe e t .

In 1979,R o b e rt Brett and Sons opened their wo r k sh e re,using a conve rted timber framed barn at MiltonFarm as their offices.A c c o rding to historian,P a u lTr i t t o n , the works here processed aggregates fro m

q u a rries all aro u n dthe surrounding are a .F l i n t , the materialused to build Milton'sancient churc h ,i sn ow processed atthis works into peb-ble dash for Ke n t ' sn ewest buildings.

The Brett Companyhas helped with thel a n d s c aping of manyof the pits that we reflooded and becamethe lakes you passedearlier on this walk,with the creation ofislands and the planting of tre e s .Other pits we refilled in to their former height andreturned to agricultural use.

From point E to point F

1 1 .Continue along the edge of the fi e l d , then as youa p p ro a ch a timber gate,veer ri g h t , between two posts, o n eof which has a ye l l ow marke r.

1 2 .At a marked junction,turn ri g h t ,u p h i l l , along the edge ofa recently landscaped are a .Continue straight ahead, i n t osome tre e s, and walk steeply uphill.

1 3 .Continue along this path until you re a ch a metalledroad (Cocke ring Road).C ross a stile, c ross the road and goover a stile opposite.CAU T I O N :This is a very busy ro a d .Continue straight ahead,u p h i l l , re a ch the top and cross astile onto a by wa y.

To take a short-cut back to Chartham village :Turn left,along the by wa y,fo l l ow it through the woods then

Milton church

The famous brass of Robert deSeptvans in St Mary’s

church, Chartham

Milton manor c. 1900

Brett’s Milton Manor works, withthe church in the background

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From point K to point L

2 2 .Continue along this path, into a small woodland.R e a cha dirt tra ck and turn left. E m e r ge into a fi e l d ,walk alongthe edge,with woodland on your ri g h t .R e a ch the corner ofthe wood.(This is a good view p o i n t . )

2 3 .Keep straight ahead.The path goes downhill and into as t rip of woodland.Walk through the wood and re a ch amain ro a d .( B e fo re you cross the ro a d ,l o o kd own to your left and you will see a smallstone marker with a letter C carved into it.T h i smarks the Chartham parish boundary - youa re now leaving Chartham and enteri n gPetham pari s h . )

CAU T I O N :This is a busy road with fast tra f fi c.

2 4 .C ross the ro a d , turn right and immediatelyt a ke the lane on the left, signposted Ke n fi e l dHall and Pe t h a m .

2 5 .Walk dow n h i l l , re a ch a T junction and turnl e f t . Fo l l ow this lane until just befo re 'TheG ra n ge ' ,w h e re a footpath crosses the lane.Ta ke the path off to the ri g h t .

2 6 .Walk diagonally across the fi e l d ,heading tothe left of a large modern barn.C ross a fa r mt ra ck and a stile into the next fi e l d .

2 7 .Walk diagonally across the fi e l d ,u p h i l l ,t owa rds the endof a narrow strip of woodland and a stile.

2 8 .C ross the stile and walk along the side of the w o o d l a n d ,u p h i l l ,with the woodland on your left, then cutd i a gonally across the field towa rds a gap in the tre e s.

2 9 .Walk through a strip of woodland and into a fi e l d .Ke e ps t raight ahead,a c ross the field and re a ch a ro a d .

30 Cross the road and walk up a drive directly opposite.Fo l l ow the drive past some houses then towa rds a gap in awa l l .

3 1 .C ross the metal bars across the gap and walk dow nsome steps into a fi e l d .Walk straight ahead,c ross a stile,then walk across the next field at a slight diago n a l ,t owa rd sanother stile.

3 2 .C ross the stile and go straight ahead across the fi e l d .R e a ch the corner of two hedges at 90 degre e s, look d ownhill to your right and you will see a stile and a gatewith a ye l l ow marke r.Go through the gate and diago n a l l ya c ross the field towa rds some farm buildings.

3 3 .R e a ch a stile and cross it onto a rough flinty tra ck .Tu r nright and fo l l ow the tra ck through the fa r m .

POINT L - PERRY COURT FA R M

Farming by the starsPe rry Court Farm dates back at least to the sixteenth century,when it was known as Pe r ly Farm,p o s s i b ly a re fe rence to the growing of pears on thel a n d .A map of 1778 shows the farmstead marke ds i m p ly as ‘ Pe rry ’ .

In 1953, the farm was taken on by the Bro c k m a nf a m i ly.T h ey began to manage the land according to asystem known as 'bio-dynamic' farming,and as theirwebsite say s …

“The land has now been free of pesticides,h e r b i c i d e sand fungicides for up to five decades,during this period the soils have improve d ,s h owing higherorganic matter levels as well as increased biologicalactivity and improved soil structure.”

Other methods employed on this farm include theplanting and harvesting of crops on dates specified inan astrological planting calendar and the use of homeopathic treatments for live s t o c k .

In 1976, the Brockman family helped in the fo u n d i n gof the Pe rry Court Steiner School,donating many ofthe farm buildings to it.Based on the teachings ofRudolph Steiner and his 'anthroposophical' beliefs, i topened with just 14 pupils and 4 staff.To d ay there arealmost 250 pupils.

From point L to point M

3 4 . Continue on this tra ck ,w h i ch becomes a metalled lane.R e a ch a sharp bend to the right and take a footpath off tothe left, c rossing a stile.Walk diagonally across the dow n s,steeply uphill. ( T h e re are excellent views from this e s c a r p m e n t . )

includes several species of orchid such as early -p u r p l e, g reater butterfly and lady orc h i d .

Iffin Wood also contains three significant ancienta rchaeological fe a t u re s .F i r s t ly,t h e re are various eart h-works relating to a deserted medieval manorial s e t t l e m e n t .D o c u m e n t a ry evidence for the manor ofIffin exists for the years 1086 to 1465,but by the endof the fifteenth century all re c o rds cease, indicating ithad been deserted by this time.

The eart h works is a large,rectangular banked andditched enclosure covering an area of about ah e c t a re,containing four other similarly encloseda re a s .The smallest of these is found in the south-western corner,and contains a raised mound and theremains of a flint walled chapel dedicated to St.L e o n a rd ,dating from the twelfth century.A slightlylarger area to the east is thought to be the site of theprinciple domestic buildings.The remains of a ro a druns south we s t e r ly, and surrounding the whole is acomplex arrangement of other eart h wo r k s ,p ro b a b lyassociated with the economic and agricultural activityof the manor.

The two other archaeological fe a t u res re p re s e n tactivity from a far more ancient time.Both are bow lb a rrow s ,used as funerary monu m e n t s ,dating fro mthe period 2400-1500 BC.

The first lies in the northern part of Iffin Wo o d ,w h e re five inve rted Bronze Age pottery ve s s e l s ,e a c hcontaining a cremation burial we re fo u n d .The barrowhas a mound that today is 1.3m high, s u rrounded by ap a rt i a l ly infilled ditch.The second barrow is situated inthe south of the wo o d , about 100m east of NewHouse Lane.Again surrounded by a part i a l ly infilled

d i t c h , it is 0.75m high with a diameter of 13.5m.Despite the passage of time,and the activities of s u c c e s s i ve generations of man (and animals),b o t hthese prehistoric monuments have surv i ved c o m p a r a t i ve ly we l l .

Please note: T h e re is no public access to IffinWo o d ,which is privately ow n e d .

From point I to point J

1 9 .Continue along this path,with the hedge on your ri g h t ,and go under a pylon line.Come to a T junction and turnri g h t .Almost immediately, turn left. Walk across the fi e l dt owa rds a gap in a hedge and go thro u g h , past ye l l ow tapem a r ke rs.

2 0 .E m e r ge into a field and walk across on a slight d i a go n a l .R e a ch a metalled lane.

POINT J - UPPER HORTO N

Where the wise birds liveWe now arr i ve at Upper Horton Farm; to the right isH o rton Manor.Although it may appear to be quite anold building, it was in fact built in 1957, albeit on thesite of a much older dwe l l i n g . Ve ronica Litten has toldus about a charming local name for this are a :" T h i sp a rt of the parish was known as Owls Home, s onamed because of the many owls that made theirhomes in the woods ro u n d a b o u t .”

From point J to point K

2 1 .C ross the lane.The footpath continues straight aheada c ross the fi e l d , along the left hand side of a shelter belt.

POINT K - OLD CA R R I AGE ROA D

A pleasant drive in the downsThe footpath here, in the fields just past UpperH o rton Farm,fo l l ows the course of a dis-used c a rriage ro a d , as Ve ronica Litten describes…

"This old road climbs up from Kenfield Hall andc rosses the Downs Road. It runs through a shave oft rees and then beside Redwood Lees…in parts thepath is quite wide and one can imagine the carr i a g e srattling down from Kenfield Hall and Pe t h a m .”

Evidence of far older human activity was unearthed inthe area of Upper Horton Farm in 1952.W h i l s tploughing in a nearby field, local farmer Mr Given d i s c ove red a finely polished axe made of flint, l a t e rconfirmed to be Neolithic dated around 4,000 –2,300 BC.

Midland hawthorn

The 1778 ‘Hasted’ map -Perry is shown bottom left

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S E C O N DA RY TRAIL This trail is shown in ora n ge on the map at the front of thisb o o k l e t .T h e re are no detailed written dire c t i o n s.B e l ow isi n formation on the main points of intere s t .These points c o r respond to lower case letters on the map.

The trail focuses on the traditional names of fields alongthe North Downs Wa y,with text taken from ‘ M e m o ri e s,Myths and Maybes’by Ve ronica Litten.

S t a rt at Chartham Hatch village hall.Ta ke How field laneuntil you re a ch New Town Street on the ri g h t .

MEMORIES MYTHS AND MAY B EU n ravelling the meanings of field names along the Nort hD owns Way through the parish of Chart h a m .

I N T RO D U C T I O N

The North Downs Way National Trail crosses theC h i l h a m / C h a rtham boundary in a field called Dane,p a rt of the land of Lower Ensden Farm.

F rom the Chilham boundary the North Downs Waywends its way through Chartham to its boundarywith the parish of Harbledow n ,passing through f a r m l a n d ,o rc h a rds and wo o d l a n d ,all bearing theirown names which have been passed down thro u g hthe ages.All have their own identity,sometimes handed-on from generation to generation andsometimes locked up in secrets of the past. S o m enames are pre d i c t a b l e,others need much re s e a rch inthe hope of coming to the correct conclusion andothers remain a my s t e ry.

“ Travel along Chart h a m ’s North Downs Wa y,a d m i re thebeauty of today and peep into the past along the wa y.”

POINT a - New Town Stre e tThe North Downs Way fo l l ows the metalled ro a dwhich most pro b a b ly got its name from a new wayto a farm.Town is often derived from t o n e,an oldwo rd meaning farm.L o c a l ly this lane is called DippingTa n k , after the tank sunk into the ground used fo rs p r aying crops and treating hop poles.It was filled-induring the mid 1980s.Being deep and adjacent to aPublic Right of Way it was deemed a potential danger.

THE CHAPTER A R M SThis establishment has been a hostelry for nearly 200ye a r s , fo r m e r ly part of Primrose Farm, earlier it wasthe pro p e rty of the Dean and Chapter ofC a n t e r b u ry Cathedral,hence its name and sign IX-Jesus Christ.

Field on the same side of the road as the pub:OAK FIELD So named because it is adjacent to the Royal OakPublic House.

Fields on the opposite side:HOME ORCHARD R e fers to land close to the Farmhouse of the fo r m e rC h apter Farm.T W E LVE HUNDREDThis field name dates back from the days when hopsg rew here and re fers to the number of hops plantedto the acre.N o r m a l ly there we re no more than at h o u s a n d .

Point b - Hatch Farmhouse and Hatch Gre e nThe North Downs Way now passes the rear ofHatch Farmhouse with its attractive dove cote.T h ef a r m h o u s e, also a ‘Listed Building’ was built in the18th century,or earlier.Hatch Farm was once a separate holding,n ow part of Nickle Farm.Since thedemise of hop growing the Oast has been used as acold store for fruit and later acquired by HoppersFarmhouse Bake ry.This enterprise enjoyed great suc-c e s s ,but outgrew the premises and was fo rced tom ove elsew h e re.The Oast has since been conve rt e dinto five dwe l l i n g s .The conversion kept many originalfe a t u res including the cowls which are a landmark fo rm a ny miles aro u n d .The building is said to be haunted.

Hatch Green developed where the hatch, the opening through the wo o d s ,was crossed by theancient trackway used by traders, t r avellers and pilgrims fo l l owing the ridge of the North Dow n s .G r a d u a l ly dwellings we re built here and later across awider are a .On this green was a pond from the localwater supply. It is now part of the landscaped gard e nof Hatch Green Cottage.On nearby rising gro u n dstood a windmill.

Field on the left side of North Downs Wa y :TRIAL FIELD (on the left)A comparative ly modern name re fe rring to the testing of cro p s .

Point c - Choice of ro u t e sAt this point,you have a choice of two ro u t e s :To take the ‘ B o u n d a ry and back’d i ve rs i o n ,s t a yon the North Downs Wa y, s t raight ahead.To stay on the secondary ro u t e, f o l l ow the footpath off to the right, at the end turn leftonto Hatch Lane.Go to point g in the tex t .

POINT M - CHARTHAM DOW N S

A burial place for 600 yearsThough there are no extant remains visible, this are awas the site of a ve ry ancient cemetery. It originallycontained about one hundred barrow s , about twe n t yof which we re excavated in the eighteenth century.

In one barrow,a Roman glass bottle (now housed inthe British Museum),a brooch and some coins of theL ower Empire we re fo u n d .C remation appears toh ave been practised in this cemetery,but there are aconsiderable number of later graves that have noobjects deposited in them.

This dates the cemetery as being in use from aboutthe fifth to the early eleventh century,and the changef rom furnished to unfurnished graves (i.e. f rom grave swith goods to graves with no goods in them) almostc e rt a i n ly shows this site’s later use as a SaxonChristian burial gro u n d .

From point M to point N

3 5 .R e a ch the top of the downs and cross a stile onto apavement alongside a main ro a d .C ross the road and takethe footpath directly opposite. CAU T I O N :This is a busyroad with fast tra f fi c.

3 6 .Fo l l ow this path into a housing estate.At a junction,keep straight ahead,pass a carved bench .

POINT N - ROMAN QUA R RY SITE

A very ancient murder mystery?During the construction of the housing estate yo ua re walking thro u g h ,much evidence was uneart h e d

s h owing activity here during the Romano-British p e r i o d , ro u g h ly 40-410 A D.

It seems the area was used in that period as a chalkq u a rry, i n i t i a l ly being abandoned,with work re s u m i n gagain later in the second century. It appears the q u a rry was finally abandoned in the late third or earlyfo u rth century.

In the northern end of the quarry,p o s s i b ly itse n t r a n c e,nu m e rous finds we re discove re d ,i n c l u d i n gbuilding debris,p o t t e ry,c o i n s ,m e t a lwo r k ,q u e r nstones (most often used for the grinding of grain fo rf l o u r ) ,t i l e, animal bone and other small finds.T h ebuilding debris indicated the presence of a large

m a s o n ry building,p o s s i b ly a farmsteador a villa that was here during thewhole period the quarry was in use,though it appears to have undergo n esome structural alterations.

During the time when the quarry wasfirst abandoned,ro u g h ly 75-125 A D,asingle cremation burial was inserted intothe back-fill.A n a lysis of the bone fragments contained within the urns h ow it was fe m a l e, and found with theurn we re a flagon and a bow l .

The second burial discove red datesf rom the period when the quarry wasf i n a l ly abandoned,and re p resents thefinal evidence of human activity in theq u a rry.Situated in the south-eastern

s i d e, it consists of the burial of a young adult.Examination of the body showed that the individualhad pro b a b ly lived quite a stre nuous life,had badt e e t h ,a n d ,due to the bowing of the legs, spent a considerable time horse riding.Though no gravegoods we re pre s e n t ,a rchaeologists dated the burialas late Roman.

Of more intere s t ,p e r h ap s ,was the general nature ofthe burial.The ap p a rent casual disposition of the bodyseemed to suggest the burial was somewhat of a h u rried affair.Also the fact that it was buried in aq u a rry and not in a cemetery all lead to the suspicionof foul play of one form or another.

From point N to start

3 7 .Keep ahead on path to cross a road and keep onto enter a cul de sac called Jasmine Close. Go leftagain on path through houses to emerge by theFagge Arms public house.At roundabout turn rightonto Cockering Road and second left into RattingtonS t re e t . B ew a re traffic and stay on this road intoC h a rtham and on to the station.

A plan of the tumuli on Chartham Downs by Hasted, 1798

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Point f - Near the parish boundary

TURKEY BANK ( l a r ge sloping field on your left)Local residents say the name comes from the shap eof the hillside which resembles the breast of a turkey !This is fanciful.The landowner says it was wheret u r keys we re dried on their way to marke t .T h i sexplanation seems logical as the field is on a southwest facing slope.Which market? Canterbury,Chilham or Wye ?

It is said that the turkey is the only animal that hasn’tthe sense to seek shelter in order to keep dry in we twe a t h e r.

MOON’S BANK ( l a r ge sloping field on your ri g h t )As this name implies this field is on a bank,a ve rysteep bank - climbing up it cert a i n ly feels as thoughone is climbing to the moon,but actually the name isd e r i ved from Muns,a former landow n e r.C h a rt h a mParish Council,with the aid of the Kentish StourC o u n t ryside Pro j e c t , installed a bench near the top,w h e re the views are splendid.

DANE (at the valley bottom)F rom the Old English for ‘Land in a deep wooded v a l l ey ’ .

The North Downs Way crosses a valley here,n odoubt once more deeply defined and flowing withwater descending from the nearby hills.This wo u l dh ave made a natural division of land ow n e r s h i p,c reating the boundary of the two parishes.

The land is no longer wooded and has seen manychanges in cultivation,including hop growing whichg r a d u a l ly gave way to fruit, c e re a l ,oilseed rap e,f l a xand more re c e n t ly, l ave n d e r.

In 1998,relics of the days of hop picke r s ,with theirp r i m i t i ve huts and facilities we re discove re d ,w h e n ,after scrub clearance two earth closets we rereve a l e d .These have since been re m ove d .

‘ B o u n d a ry and back’ diversion endsPlease re t race your steps to point c then c o n t i nue on the secondary route to point g.

Point g - Fields and buildings near HatchG re e n

Field on the left as you walk back to Hatch Lane:H A Z Z A R D SPo s s i b ly a derivation of hazels.Hazel trees we re

coppiced and much used for hurd l e s , fe n c i n g , pegs fo rthatching and basket making.T h e re is an old sunke nroad which runs from Lower Ensden, t h ro u g hHunstead Wood and Fright Wo o d s . It lays hidd e n ,c ove red in foliage and fallen trees and is difficult tot r a c e,p a rt i c u l a r ly when beguiled into falsely fo l l ow i n gloggers’ tracks.The woods and the old sunken ro a dc o n t i nued on across Hazzards to Hatch Gre e n .When older fruit trees we re grubbed out and thefield bare befo re re p l a n t i n g , the line of this sunke nroad could be discerned.

BUILDINGS NEAR HATCH GREENBy studying the buildings around Hatch Green it willbe seen that this is the oldest part of what is nowk n own as Chartham Hatch:

The Royal Oak:This Public House,n ow temporarilyc l o s e d ,has remains of a medieval timber- f r a m e dbuilding which are now encased in brick.

S ayes Court :Built in the 1700s.The front port i o n ,called Hatch House,was built in 1820.

P r i m rose Cottage:This thatched timber framed c o t t a g e,fo r m e r ly ap t ly named Pilgrims Cottage,w a sbuilt in the 1600s or earlier.

Mount Cottages:These cottages of red brick withg rey headers we re built in the 18th century.

O rc h a rd Mount:This was once three cottages andbears a date stone 1725.It stands opposite Mill Fieldthe site of the former windmill of which there is nowno trace except a slight mound,p o s s i b ly where themill stood.

All the above buildings are ‘ L i s t e d ’ ,marking theira rchitectural import a n c e.

Point h - Seed Mill

Two contributors to Lost Landscapes have told usabout this lost building.

“The seed mill,built in 1704,was used for thrashingt u r n i p s ,swedes etc. It was an impre s s i ve building,t h ree storeys high, standing beside the mill pond...”F rom C h a rt h a m ’s Heri t a ge by Ve ronica Litten

Neil Morr i s ,w a rden at nearby Hunstead Wo o dN a t u re Reserve,u n c ove red some intriguing re fe rences to the mill in old new s p ap e r s :

“ Work on Chartham Hatch Seed Mill was in

‘ B o u n d a ry and back’ dive r s i o n

This is a linear diversion along the North Downs Way tothe Chartham parish boundary and back

Point d - Fright Wood and Puddledock House

FRIGHT WOOD (on your right)The name is taken from the Old English f y r h omeaning wo o d l a n d .

PUDDLEDOCK HOUSEN e a r by springs running down from the wo o d sformed pools for water dipping.The house was fo r m e r ly three cottages built in 1723, said to havebeen built on the site of a former priory.(The largeo rc h a rd on your left is also called Pudd l e d o c k . )

W h e re the North Downs Way crosses a tra ck :

NOOK (field to the right cut into the wo o d l a n d )Named after its shape of a recessed corner cut outof Fright Wood behind.A map of 1841 re fers to it asDuckpits pasture.

GALLAS (on your left)Sometimes re fe rred to as Gallow s .Older local residents remember it as Galus Meadow where locallads played fo o t b a l l .T h e re is no evidence of gallow sh e re.Pe r h aps Galus is a shortened form ofA s t r a g a l u s , a plant of the vetch family or a gamep l ayed long ago using heel bones from sheep as dice.

NICKLE HILL (beyond the cro s s - ro a d s ,on the left)When climbing the enclosed path beside HunsteadHouse it will become obvious why the opposite fieldis called Nickle Hill!

Point e - Nickle Farm and the Railw ay

It is said that at the cross tracks here (where theN o rth Downs Way turns left) the supposed route ofthe Pilgrims Way joined Nickle Farm Road,h av i n gclimbed from Chilham,B owerland Farm and behindS h a l m s fo rd Manor to a path which cert a i n ly has thecharacteristics of an ancient sunken road and is nowdesignated as part of the North Downs Way.

NEARBY OA S T SOne has been conve rted into a B&B establishmentthe other is no longer recognisable as a former Oast,h aving been conve rted and used as the farm’s officesand now the office of the publication Kent on Sunday.The building has been named Hunstead House, a f t e rthe woodland that stretches behind Nickle Farm. I nits day the Oast was called the Bogey Oast.Was thisf rom some engineering term,or was it so namedbecause of its position surrounded by dark conife r s ?

TANK PIECE (on the right befo re the ra i l way bri d ge )Field possibly named after a tank which stood here.Farms often contained tanks used for spraying cro p sand dipping hop poles in creosote to pre s e rve thewo o d .

THE FAVERSHAM - CA N T E R B U RY RAILWAY This line,opened in 1860,c rosses the land of NickleFarm after leaving Selling Tunnel and entering thewooded area of Highfield Springs,L ower EnsdenF a r m .

OAST FIELD (on left as you walk alongside the ra i l wa y )Situated behind an oast house built in 1897,one ofs everal within the farm.

DUNNINGS (on your left after the path bends awa yf rom the ra i l wa y )Po s s i b ly named after an early land owner namedNigel de Dudying.

G R E ATIS MAN (Opposite Dunnings)The meaning is obscure,but might mean a largemeeting place,common land or a homestead.On am ap of 1683 the area is shown as Gre a t m o s t m a n .

HIGH FIELD (Opposite Dunnings)Named after a wooded area at the top of a bankw h e re several springs rise.

C OW LEAS (On left as the path turns a corner)A reminder of the days befo re the orc h a rd s ,b e fo rethe hops,when cattle we re grazed here.Sheep’s heel bones used as dice

P r i m rose Hill was nicknamed Plum A l l ey because ofthe fruit that fell from the line of bush plums plantedas a windbre a k . It was also called Cook’s Hill after thef a m i ly that lived there.At the top of the hill was ave ry old holly bush,a lw ays laden with berries atChristmas time.The wooded area behind was af avourite haunt for childre n .T h ey would try to catchrobins there and sneak into the orc h a rds stealingapples and cherr i e s . . .

Apple Tree Corner was by the bend in the lane andwas so named...because one lone apple tree grewt h e re.M a ny sheep we re kept in the field and the manwho tended them had great difficulty when re q u i re dto make a count of his flock.He would count up tof i ve or six and then continue ‘And there goes anothero n e,and there goes another one.’ In the end the jobwas left to the farmer. . .”

Point k - White Wa l l s

At this junction of paths is the location of a lost f a r m s t e a d .A 1784 Ordnance Survey drawing re c o rd sit as Whitehall Farm.Cottages surv i ved here into thee a r ly 1960s,k n own locally as ‘White Wa l l s ’ .

The long straight track ahead has the traditionalname of Sandyway - you will soon see why - and wasdifficult to use for carts whose wheels slipped in thes a n d . In the small valley to your left runs the tinyR i ver Cranburne,k n own locally as Running Wa t e r.Ve ronica tells us it was once a larger waterc o u r s ew h e re poachers fished for tro u t .

Point l - Denstead

We now arr i ve at the distinctive Six-Cowl Oast atD e n s t e a d .This impre s s i ve local landmark is testamentto the extent of the hop growing industry in this partof Ke n t .The favourable climate and soils,and a re a d ys u p p ly of chestnut coppice made Chartham parishideal for hop gard e n s .

Denstead was once a separate ville. It was part of theestate of the Crevequer family,who gave it, in thereign of Henry III,to the Priory of Leeds. It re m a i n e da manor belonging to the Priory until Henry VIII tookit into his possession.To d ay the timbered farmhousewith its stately chimneys is still to be admire d .

Point m - Petty Fr a n c e

The old Petty France Farm,meaning little farm,o n c estood on the parish boundary between Harbledow nand Chart h a m .Nothing is left of the old farm,but anancient oak tree stands alongside the North Dow n s

Way marking where the line of the boundary left thefields of Petty France Farm to run down the midd l eof the track to No Man’s Orc h a rd .

Point n - No Man’s Orc h a rd

Tr a d i t i o n a l ly any land that straddled more than oneparish was called No Man’s ,meaning no one man’sl a n d .At No Man’s Orc h a rd the boundary betwe e nC h a rtham and Harbledown leaves the North Dow n sWay crossing the centre of the orc h a rd .

This traditional bramley orc h a rd was purchased bythe two parishes in1996 with the help of grants andd o n a t i o n s .The ten acre site is also a site of NatureC o n s e rvation Intere s t ,designated by Kent W i l d l i feTr u s t ,m a i n ly because of the number of lichens andmosses pre s e n t .

C a n t e r b u ry City Council has designated the orc h a rda local nature re s e rve in recognition of its wildlifevalue and to encourage its educational use.This wasthe first orc h a rd in the UK to be designated as such.

Point o - Boundary oak

Local resident Jim Sanders told us about “an ancientp o l l a rded oak which is said to be a parish boundarym a r ke r.”Look for it’s distinctive trunk with an arch asyou fo l l ow the North Downs Way aw ay from NoM a n ’s Orc h a rd .A local superstition has it that anyyoung woman of the parish who passes through thea rch three times will improve their chances ofbecoming pre g n a n t .p ro g ress...when in May 1791,the Kentish Gazette

re c o rded a ‘shocking accident’ in which one of theworkmen digging the drain was buried alive. . .

“A sale adve rtisement in the Gazette of 1820,a f t e rdescribing the mill’s machinery, a dds that it was ‘ f i t t e dup as a flour mill at a ve ry considerable expense butfor want of sufficient power has never been put inm o t i o n ’ .The fo l l owing Fe b r u a ry the mill was beingo f fe red for letting or sale with 3 acres of hop gro u n dand a double cockle oast...Mr Hambro o k , the entre-p reneurial miller and seedsman also leased from theDean and Chapter the 72 acres of Hunstead Wo o dadjoining his pro p e rt y.The coppice there would havebeen put into service producing charcoal to fire theoast and providing the large number of hop polese m p l oyed at that time. . .”

Point i - Hunstead Wo o d

The longstanding warden has done much re s e a rc hinto the history of this ancient woodland naturere s e rve :

“Hunstead first appears in the expense accounts ofthe Cathedral Priory in 1251...The same fo rester wasresponsible for Hunstead and Denge Woods and itseems like ly that at the time the two wo o d sjoined...Being church land it is quite possible thatHunstead served the monks at the hospital in neighbouring Harbledow n .T h ey would have prizedthe sphagnum moss from the bog as a wound dre s s-ing with natural anti-bacterial pro p e rt i e s ,a useful commodity when you are running a leper hospital...”F rom Hunstead Wood - Its History Explored T h ro u g hP hysical Fe a t u res of the Wood by Neil Morr i s .

Hunstead is enclosed by ditches, including an unu s u a ldouble ditch on its southern boundary with FrightWo o d .Neil has explored the function of these d i t c h e s :

“The interpretation of the name Hunstead as ‘ t h eplace where the hounds are kept’ has bolstered thet h e o ry that deer we re hunted in the Blean inm e d i eval times and that this ditch system is theremains of a former pale. . .H oweve r, a ny evidence ofve rd e rers being employed by the church to lookafter deer management in the fo rest is completelyl a c k i n g . . .”

He goes on to put fo r w a rd three possible explana-tions for the double ditch on the southern boundary.The first is that it was a ‘radfall’ - “a woodland trackmade between two banks,made for the purpose ofm oving cattle”.The second is that it was a defe n s i ved i t c h , constructed during the Iron Age as an ‘ a n n e x ’to nearby Bigbury hill fo rt ,or even by the Romans asa temporary defe n s i ve eart h work during theiradvance into Ke n t .The third theory is that is is an“ancient sunken road” that joined with an old t r a c k w ay a mile to the we s t .

Hunstead Woods is part of a large block of wo o d l a n dk n own as South Blean,which is in turn part of thelarger ancient Blean Fo rest that encircles Canterbury.Despite its conifer plantations and commerc i a l ly managed chestnut coppice, this woodland containsm a ny good wildlife habitats. In part i c u l a r,b o g gy andh e a t hy areas occur on acidic,sandy soils, c h a r a c-terised by heather,gorse and rare mosses. In contrasta re grassy rides on chalkier soils with plants such asye l l ow - wo rt . In spring bluebells abound and nightingales can be heard .

Point j - Primrose Hill

Ve ronica Litten,in her book C h a rt h a m ’s Heri t a gerecounts a number of local people’s stories andmemories about this lane:

The seed mill (Hopper family)

The boundary oak

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This circular route is one of a series of Lost Landscapes Heritage Trails that have been developed in the fo l l ow i n gparishes along the North Dow n s : C u x t o n ,D e t l i n g / T h u r n h a m ,H o l l i n g b o u r n e,Charing and Chilham.

For further information about Lost Landscapes and walking opportunities along the North Downs Way visitw w w. n a t i o n a l t r a i l . c o. u k / n o rt h d owns or e-mail nort h d ow n sw ay @ ke n t . gov.uk or telephone 08458 247600.

For further walking opportunities in Kent please visit www. ke n t . gov. u k / e x p l o re kent or telephone 08458 247600.

The Countryside Code.

Be safe - plan ahead and fo l l ow arrows or signs L e ave gates and pro p e rty as you find themP rotect plants and animals and take your litter homeKeep dogs under close contro lConsider other people

Way m a r k i n g

During your walk you will see arrows marking various public rights of way :

M Footpath (on foot only)

M Bridleway (on foot,horseback or pedal cycle)

M Byway (all traffic)

Please tell us about any problems concerning the paths by using the Kent Report Line - 0845 345 0210.

We would like to thank the fo l l owing contributors to this booklet (in alphabetical ord e r ) :

C h a rtham Parish CouncilC h a rtham Society History Gro u pN o rton Harr i e sVe ronica LittenNeil Morris Jim Sanders

We would also like to express our gratitude to all the other local people who took part in meetings,walks andre s e a rc h .

Thanks to Ken Law from Cuxton for checking the route dire c t i o n s .

Main trail text written by A n d rew Hudson.

S e c o n d a ry trail field names text written by Ve ronica Litten.

This booklet was edited and designed by Clarity Interpretation (01303 249501 clarity. i n t e r p re t a t i o n @ v i r g i n . n e t ) .

Contributors

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