Like stepping back through time: 30 photos of the stunning ancient English village of Chilham on the Kent Downs

Located in the borough of Ashford in Kent and sited just six miles from the prog-rock temple of Canterbury, Chilham is a beautiful small village packed with stunning mediaeval architecture.

I was in the area to watch the mighty Peckham Town play the village football team (we won, 4-2!) and had no idea that the place was so pretty.

Here’s thirty photos taken during my short visit to the super charming hamlet.

The village was given by Henry VIII to his courtier Henry Cheney in 1542, and such are its Olde World charms that it’s often to be seen being used a backdrop for historical TV and film productions.

First impressions aren’t so good. The railway station is spartan bus shelter affair, and the walk into the village takes you along a busy road, although you soon come across the first listed building, Denmark House, built in the mid 19th Century.

The ultra-picturesque 18th Century Bagham Cottage ticks all the Instagram boxes.

The Grade II listed Woolpack Inn dates from the 16th century.

We popped in for a quick pre-match tipple and met the charming landlady and friendly staff. It’s a lovely pub.

Bus stop and Grade II listed K6 telephone kiosk.

Walking up The Street to the market square.

Built around 1500 with 19th Century alterations, Orion’s Cottage is a two storey timber framed house, with Grade II listed status (like most of the buildings featured in this article).

Forge House.

Burgoyne’s on the High Street was constructed in the 15th Century.

These were all gone when we walked past an hour later!

Historic England goes into huge detail about the Grade I listed Church of St Mary. Here’s an introductory snippet:

Parish church. C14 transepts, C15 nave, west tower 1534, chancel of 1863 by David Brandon. Cl9 south porch. Knapped flint. coursed in chancel, ashlar quoins and dressings throughout. Tower west wall in alternate blocks of flints and tiles. Plain tile roof. West tower, nave with aisles, transepts, triple chancel, south porch.

The Grade I listed Chilham Castle is a Jacobean manor house and keep in the heart of the village.

Wikipedia says:

The polygonal keep of the Norman Castle, the oldest building in the village, dates from 1174 and is still inhabited today, making it one of the oldest dwellings in Great Britain.

It was said to have been built for King Henry II, although archaeological excavations carried out in the 1920s suggest that it stands on the foundations of a much older Anglo-Saxon fortification, possibly dating from the seventh century.

In June 1320, Chilham Castle was the venue for a reception hosted by Bartholomew de Badlesmere for Edward II and his entourage when they were travelling through Dover en route for France.

The Jacobean building, within sight of the keep, was completed in 1616 for Sir Dudley Digges on a hexagonal plan, with five angled ranges and the sixth left open. It has battlemented parapets, clustered facetted columnar brick chimneys and corner towers with squared ogee cappings

Looking like a pair of petrified extras from Shaun of the Dead, this oak carving by the entrance to Chilham Castle is entitled “Pilgrim Milestone” and was created by local chainsaw sculptor Steven Andrews.

Looking down to the village primary school.

The Church Mouse tea room in the Square dates back to the 17th Century.

It was great to see a traction engine in The Square.

We repaired to the White Horse in The Square after the match. Built in the 15th Century and altered 300 years later, it’s a beautiful pub, inside and out.