In the Footsteps of Dickens

A couple of weekends ago, when the weather was being kind for a change, I went for a circular walk around the village of Higham (mid way between Gravesend and Rochester).

Normally I tend to devise my own walks but on this occasion I followed a suggested 6.6 mile route from Kent County Council Explore Kent.

Many towns and villages in this part of North Kent including Higham claim links to the author Charles Dickens and trade on it to this day.

The walk starts and finishes at Higham station on the main line from London to the Medway towns. Dickens was an avid walker and covered on average 12 miles a day regardless of the weather.

From the station the route of the walk crosses over the railway bridge and then across open farmland towards the centre of Higham village.

Looking up the line towards Gravesend and London.

The distinctive buildings to the left of the picture are oast houses which were used for drying hops.

The church on the horizon is St John's church. It was consecrated in January 1862 and the Dickens family had a pew in the chancel. Dickens was a close friend of Joseph Hindle, the vicar of Higham.

Shortly after leaving the church you pass one of the village's remaining pubs, the Gardeners Arms. 

On 14th March 1856 Dickens purchased Gads Hill Place and resided there until his death in 1870. A number of his famous books were written here including Great Expectations, A Tale of Two Cities and his final (unfinished work) The Mystery of Edwin Drood. The house was originally built in 1779.

Nowadays Gads Hill Place is used as a private school. At some point this year, when new school buildings are finished, it is due to become a Dickens museum and will be open to the public.

Opposite Gads Hill Place is another watering hole, the Sir John Falstaff where Dickens guests were sometimes accommodated.

The walk climbs up Telegraph Hill adjacent to the pub. At the top of the hill is a concrete obelisk shaped monument to Charles Larkin a local political reformer who died in 1833. Unfortunately despite being mentioned in the KCC guide the entry to the field where the monument is located was padlocked shut. A bit of a disappointment on an otherwise excellent walk.

The walk passes along Hermitage Road with good views across the farmland towards the river (Thames).

The base of a windmill originally built in the 1760's but partly demolished in 1921.

The horses in the neighbouring paddock were very pleased to see me and followed me for some way. I think they thought I had some sugar lumps about my person!

Poplar trees surrounded by cow parsley. Not a bad place to stop for a quick sandwich before continuing on to Higham's second and original parish church, St Marys.

Parts of the church date back to the 13th century but there is evidence of earlier Saxon and Norman churches at the site. The church is no longer in regular use but is maintained by a national charity called The Churches Conservation Trust. It is open daily to visitors.

On 17th July 1860, Dickens' daughter Katey was married at the church. Reverend Hindle conducted the ceremony. Katey's mother Catherine was not at the wedding. Dickens had separated from her in 1858 after starting a secret affair with actress Ellen Ternan.

Dickens with his daughters Katey and Mary.

The stained glass windows are very impressive especially when the sun shines through.

Medieval floor tiles near the altar.

The door to the church is adorned with crude carvings thought to be from the 14th century.

After leaving the church the walk heads back to the starting point at Higham station and passing two more pubs.

The Chequers above closed a few years ago and has now been converted into apartments.

The final pub of the walk is the appropriately named Railway Tavern. I would recommend this walk. It is mainly over easy ground with plenty of points of interest and good views over the countryside.

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Long John Silver Cumbers

This rather dapper looking gentleman is Sydney Cumbers, affectionately known as Long John Silver due to his distinctive eye patch and nautical attire.

Sydney Cumbers had a boyhood dream to go to sea but sadly the loss of his left eye at an early age ended that ambition and instead he went into the family business in the City of London.

Due to the success of the business, in the 1930's he was able to afford a weekend river front retreat in Gravesend (not far from the Mission House where General Gordon had taught Sunday School).

He named his house "The Lookout" and set about redecorating it with all manner of nautical paraphernalia from ship's wheel to models.

Different parts of the house were named after parts of a ship such as the bridge and the forecastle and it was described by some visitors as being "like a ship laid out ready for sea"

In particular he amassed what was thought to be the world's largest private collection of ship's figure heads. In total over one hundred with the oldest carved in 1663.

When staying in Gravesend, Cumbers would practically have an open door. Anyone with an interest in ships and the sea was welcome to call into "The Lookout" for a chat.

In 1953, the lease on "The Lookout" came to an end and due to his advancing years, Cumbers reluctantly decided to move to a smaller more practical residence.

The move of course meant that a suitable home had to be found for his burgeoning collection which apart from the figure heads included another thousand plus items.

Fortunately the famous tea clipper Cutty Sark had recently returned to the UK for preservation at Greenwich.

The Cutty Sark Preservation Trust gratefully accepted the donation of Cumbers collection which would eventually be displayed aboard the clipper.

Here is an interesting 1951 vintage Pathe news clip I found which will give you a better idea of the inside of "The Lookout".

Sydney Cumbers died in 1959.

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Hattie

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Trevithick's Industrial Dartford Celebration

This weekend (7th/8th May) Central Park, Dartford will once again be filled with reminders of Britain's industrial heritage such as the steam traction engine "Challenger" pictured above.

She was built by John Fowler & Co in Leeds in 1914.

Around the same time each year the Trevithick's Industrial Dartford Celebration takes place. Central Park is filled with traction engines, vintage buses, cars and tractors of all shapes and sizes.

The celebration honours the memory of the pioneering Cornish steam engineer Richard Trevithick who worked at J & E Hall & Co in Dartford in the twilight of his career.

He died in the town and is buried close to the Dartford Martyr's Memorial off East Hill.

One day I will write a more detailed post about Richard Trevithick. He had a very colourful life but came to a sad end despite the major contributions he made to British engineering.

Admission to the park is free and it's well worth a visit if you are in the area.

Here are a few more pictures taken at last year's event....They don't make them like that any more. 1921 Foden steam omnibus.

A bit more up to date. This Routemaster RML2345 entered service with London Transport in 1965 but was later painted green and based in Northfleet, Kent. She operated the 480 service between Dartford and Gravesend. She has now been restored to her original London Transport livery and is privately owned.

Two steam rollers, "Moby Dick" (in the background) and "Rhoda" both manufactured in Rochester, Kent by Aveling and Porter.

Finally and fittingly a 1912 Hallford bus built in Dartford by Trevithick's employers J & E Hall & Co Ltd.

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Leybourne Castle

Due to it's proximity to London and the English Channel, a large number of castles were built in Kent after the Norman invasion and again during the Tudor period.

Some of Kent's castles such as Rochester, Dover and Leeds are very well known around the world. Leybourne Castle (near Larkfield), however, is one that most people, even in Kent, will not have heard of before.

The first castle on the site is likely to have been built by the Normans shortly after the conquest in 1066. The manor of Leybourne was given to William the Conqueror's half brother Odo, Bishop of Bayeux and Earl of Kent.

It seems Odo was a very ambitious and somewhat unsavoury character who set his sights on buying his way into the papacy. This caused a rift with William and lead to his eventual imprisonment for a number of years and the forfeiture of his lands in Kent.

The confiscated land included the manor of Leybourne which passed initially to Sir William d'Arsick and then into the de Laibron family from Yorkshire in 1166.

The de Laibron name morphed into Lillebourne and eventually over time into de Leybourne. The de Leybournes were Knights who fought during the crusades as well as in campaigns against the Welsh and Scots.

Sir Roger de Leybourne was amongst the barons who forced King John to sign the Magna Carta in 1215 and was later captured during the siege of Rochester Castle. His estates were confiscated by King John but in 1216 he was able to buy them back again (for a hefty fee).

His son, also named Roger, inherited the estate in 1251 and built a stone castle at Leybourne in 1260. Roger served King Henry III for many years and is credited with saving the King's life at the battle of Evesham in 1265.

The estate remained in the de Leybourne family until the 1380's. It then passed via the Crown to the Cistercian Abbey of St Mary in London. The Abbey rented the estate to Sir Simon de Burley, Warden of the Cinque Ports who came to a rather unfortunate end when he was executed for treason in 1388.

The estate passed back to the crown following Henry VIII's dissolution of the monasteries. By this time the castle was in a poor state of repair and a farmhouse was built on the site.

The house was occupied by many different families over the ensuing centuries. In 1846 the owner at the time, Sir Joseph Hawley, founded a racing stud from which he produced four Derby winners. Quite an achievement.

The Hawleys remained at Leybourne until 1920 when it was purchased by Mrs Ogilvy.

In 1931 Mrs Ogilvy appointed architect Walter Godfrey to design a new arts and crafts style house. Godfrey boldly incorporated the ruins of the old castle into his plans as can be seen in the picture above.

In the 1980's the house was sold to footballer Nigel Short who made a number of unauthorised "improvements" to the listed building (without the knowledge or agreement of English Heritage).

Since the mid 90's the castle has had new owners who are now working to restore it back to a sound condition.

Here is another view of the castle from the rear.

The castle is not open to the public as it is a private residence but it can be seen from the grounds of the adjacent Leybourne church or from a public footpath which passes along the edge of the grounds towards the village of Ryarsh.

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General Charles Gordon - A Victorian Hero

The 26th January 2011 marks the 126th anniversary of the death of General Charles George Gordon, perhaps more commonly remembered by his nicknames "Chinese Gordon" or "Gordon of Khartoum".

He was born in Woolwich, Kent on 28th January 1833 into a military family (his father was a Major-General). Charles was duly enrolled into the Royal Military College at Woolwich and after passing out in 1852 joined the Royal Engineers in the rank of 2nd Lieutenant based at Chatham, Kent.

In 1855, Gordon served in the Crimean War at the Siege of Sebastapol and remained in Russia until 1858.

In 1860, he volunteered to serve in China where the British were fighting the Opium Wars and endeavouring to suppress the Taiping Rebellion which threatened lucrative European trade interests.

The British occupied Northern China until April 1862 when they fell back to form part of an international force to protect Shanghai which was in imminent danger of attack from the rebels.

The international force was lead by an American, Frederick Townsend Ward and Gordon was attached to his staff as engineer officer. Ward was mortally wounded at the Battle of Cixi on 20th September 1862. Gordon assumed command in March 1863.

Gordon lead a very successful campaign against the Taipings and his force became known popularly as the "Ever Victorious Army". By May 1864 the rebels had been defeated and the army was disbanded.

Gordon returned to the UK and between 1865 and 1871 was stationed at New Tavern Fort in Gravesend, Kent. There he was responsible for overseeing the modernisation of the various forts that defended the lower Thames Estuary.


During his time in Gravesend, Gordon was known for his many philanthropic works with the poor and needy in the local community. He set up a Ragged School for Boys and in his free time taught at a Sunday School held at the Mission House pictured above.

In 1872 Gordon met the Prime Minister of Egypt whilst in Constantinople and was eventually invited to join the Egyptian Army in the rank of Colonel. In early 1874, he left for Egypt with the blessing of the British Government.

Gordon became Governor of the Gondokoro province and later in 1877 was appointed Governor-General of the Sudan.

The 1870's was a turbulent period in the history of the region. The Europeans were tyring to stamp out the slave trade in the Sudan which lead to an economic crisis in the North of the country and much unrest. Egypt and Abyssinia (later to become Ethiopia) went to war in 1875 over a border dispute.

Egyptian expeditionary forces were defeated in two battles at Gundet and Gura so in March 1877, Gordon was sent on a mission to make peace with the Abyssinian King. The mission was not a success. The Abyssinian King had gone South to fight the Shoa (one of the local tribes).

Back in the Sudan, an insurrection had broken out in Darfur (parallels of today?). Gordon decided to use diplomatic rather than military means to diffuse the volatile situation. Accompanied only by his interpreter, Gordon bravely rode into the insurgents camp and following talks succeeded in pacifying them.

Over the next three years Gordon was kept busy dealing with various revolts around the country, trying to broker peace with the Abyssinians and continuing the action against the slave traders.

In 1880, Gordon resigned his position and spent several months in Switzerland recovering from the exhaustion of his work in Africa. Gordon received many prestigious offers of employment from around the world and took short term commissions in India, China, Mauritius and South Africa before returning to the UK in 1882.

Finding himself "between" jobs, Gordon spent a year out in Palestine visiting biblical sites and writing a book "Reflections in Palestine".

On his return to the UK in 1883, Gordon was invited by King Leopold II of Belgium to take charge of the Congo Free State and was about to take up this offer when the British Government requested he return with all haste to the Sudan.

Yet another insurrection had broken out in the Sudan this time lead by the Mahdi, Mohammed Ahmed. The Egyptian Army was unable to contain the rebellion in the Sudan as unrest had erupted simultaneously in Egypt (once again parallels of today!).

By December 1883 the situation had got so bad that the British Government instructed the Egyptians to abandon the Sudan and evacuate their forces as well as any civilians and their families. Gordon was ordered to proceed to Khartoum to assist in the plans for the evacuation.

Gordon arrived in Khartoum on 18th February 1884 and immediately set about evacuating the women and children, sick and wounded back to Egypt. The Mahdi's forces closed in on Khartoum following victories over the Egyptian Army at Suakin and the siege began on 18th March.

In April the British Government withdrew their troops from the Sudan and the garrison at Berber surrendered to the Mahdi in May.

Gordon and his men were alone - effectively abandoned by the British Government.

Unlike the British Government, Gordon resolved to defend Khartoum to the last.

This captured the imagination of the British public over the ensuing months and the Government came under intense pressure to send a relief expedition to break the siege.

Eventually, in August a decision was made to send an expeditionary force to relief. However, this was not ready to move until November.

Finally, the force (mounted on camels) set out from Egypt and arrived in Sudan on 20th January 1885. An advance party arrived in Khartoum on 28th January only to find that Gordon had been killed by the Mahdists two days earlier.

It is believed that Gordon was killed on the steps of the palace around dawn fighting to the last bullet. The Mahdists are said to have cut off his head and placed it in the branches of a tree on public display and children were encouraged to throw stones at it.

Gordon's remains were never recovered from the Sudan.


When news of Gordon's death reached the UK, he was immediately feted as a hero for his stoic defence of Khartoum and for facilitating the safe evacuation of many thousands of women and children.

The statue above (by Doulton), one of many memorials erected around the country in his honour, can be found in Gravesend in the grounds of the New Tavern Fort where he served for five years.


Even to this day, wreathes are still laid in his memory on the anniversary of his death.

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Hattie

This Wednesday (19th January), a film called Hattie will be shown on BBC4.

The film stars Ruth Jones (of Gavin and Stacey fame) as comedienne and actress Hattie Jacques.

It tells the story of her complex love life during her marriage to actor John Le Mesurier.

Unbeknown to the public at the time, Hattie's young lover John Schofield was living openly in the house at the same time as her husband John Le Mesurier who had moved into the attic!

Hattie Jacques and John Le Mesurier were two of my favourite actors when I was growing up and are sorely missed. Both had strong connections with the county of Kent.

Hattie was born Josephine Edwina Jaques in Sandgate, Kent on 7th February 1922. Her father was an RAF pilot who died in a plane crash when Hattie was still only a toddler and her mother an amateur actress.

During the Second World War, Hattie served as a nurse with the Red Cross and also worked as a welder in a factory in London.

At the age of twenty she made her debut on stage at the Players Theatre in London. She became a regular on stage and in 1947 was spotted by a scriptwriter from the radio show It's That Man Again (ITMA) and invited to join the cast.

She later appeared in other popular radio shows such as Educating Archie and later Hancock's Half Hour.

In the early 1950's she appeared in a number of films including Norman Wisdom comedies.

In 1958 she joined the Carry On team and appeared in Carry On Sergeant - the first of fourteen Carry On films in which she would star. She is probably best remembered for playing the part of the battleaxe matron in films such as Carry On Nurse and Carry On Doctor.

In 1960 Hattie teamed up with lifelong friend Eric Sykes, They appeared as brother and sister in the long running TV comedy Sykes together for nearly twelve years.

In 1965 Hattie divorced John Le Mesurier but they remained on good terms. She even actively encouraged him to marry his third wife Joan.

Following the break up of her relationship to Schofield (he ran off with another woman), Hattie started to put on weight and her health deteriorated.

On 6th October 1980 she died of a heart attack in London aged only 58.

John Le Mesurier was born John Elton Le Mesurier Halliley in Bedford on 5th April 1912. His father was a solicitor. His mother's family came from Alderney in the Channel Islands and he later used her maiden name as his stage name.

John was educated at Sherborne public school and studied acting at drama school from the age of twenty. In 1941 he joined the Royal Tank Regiment serving in the UK and India rising to the rank of Captain. In 1949 he married his second wife Hattie Jacques.

He appeared in over a hundred films during his long career but is of course best known and loved for his role as Sergeant Wilson in Dad's Army. The scriptwriters very cleverly closely based the character's background on John's own.

Even though I've probably seen every episode ten times over I still enjoy them just as much today as I did when I first saw them as a kid.

At the time of his divorce from Hattie in 1965, ever the gentleman and to maintain his ex wife's reputation, John always gave the impression to the public that he was at fault. (News of her tangled love life did not emerge until many years later).

John Le Mesurier was a very heavy drinker. Although he never appeared drunk, it may have had something to do with his trademark vague demeanor.

In the late 1970's he gave up drink on medical advice but became very ill. As a consequence he resumed drinking, regained his health and enjoyed life to the full for another seven years until his death on 15th November 1983.

He is buried in the churchyard at St George the Martyr in Ramsgate, Kent.

Before he died, he wrote his own typically laconic obituary which later appeared in The Times -

"John Le Mesurier wishes it to be known that he conked out on 15th November. He sadly misses family and friends"

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Double Murder at The Greyhound - A New Year Tale

Picture by Dr Neil Clifton

The popular Greyhound pub in the quiet village of Sutton At Hone on the outskirts of Dartford, Kent has a very dark secret.

Exactly 125 years ago today it was the scene of a horrific double murder.....

Following his customary routine, at ten o'clock in the evening, the 64 year old landlord David Smith had locked the front door for the night.
In the dimly lit taproom, two of his lodgers, Alfred Kemp a bricklayer's labourer and James Stroude a boot maker, shared a pot of ale at a table by the window.

A third lodger, John Crowhurst had already retired upstairs to bed.

Shortly after ten, 42 year old paper mill worker John Knocker entered the taproom, ordered a pint of beer and sat near the fireplace.

About fifteen minutes later, Knocker suddenly got up and walked calmly across to Kemp.

Without uttering a single word, he placed his left arm around Kemp's neck and with his right hand drew a razor deep across his throat.

Kemp fell sideways to the floor with blood spurting from the six inch wound to his neck.

In horror, Stroude saw Knocker making towards him but managed to effect his escape through the back door of the pub.

Passing the landlord Smith in the passageway he shouted "John's gone wrong tonight!" and set off to raise the alarm.

Smith entered the taproom and was immediately set upon by Knocker.

A ferocious struggle ensued but "old man" Smith was no match for Knocker who had served 25 years in the army.

Smith was pushed to the ground and his throat slit virtually from ear to ear.

On hearing the commotion, Crowhurst rushed downstairs to find the lifeless bodies of Kemp and Smith lying in a pool of blood on the taproom floor.

Of Knocker, there was no sign.

Shortly before midnight, John Knocker was apprehended by Police Constable Benge on West Hill, Dartford.

His face, hands and clothes covered in his victim's blood, Knocker immediately confessed to his crimes and was taken into custody.

An inquest was held into the tragic events.

Knocker had been resident at The Greyhound for around five months and had previously always been on very good terms with the landlord and his fellow lodgers.

His army conduct had been exemplary and Police Constable Benge who had made the arrest confirmed that he was not drunk.

So what had gone so terribly wrong?

At the inquest Mrs Smith told how Knocker had left The Greyhound in apparent good spirits on Christmas Eve for a short holiday but had returned the following Tuesday "a different man"....

We can only speculate what it was that tipped a sane man over the edge and made him commit such crimes.

Unfortunately I have not so far been able to find out what happened to John Knocker at trial but I can confirm that he was not hanged for his crimes.

In view of the circumstances of the case I imagine he may have been declared insane and committed to a lunatic asylum.

Nowadays, he would probably be tried for manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility.

David Smith the landlord was buried in the nearby graveyard at St John the Baptist church on 10th January 1886.

If you have any comments regarding this post, they are most gratefully received.

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The Meopham Air Disaster

Kitty Gordon - Kent's Colourful Silent Movie Star

They Burned for their Beliefs

Kent - Invicta - The Legend

No matter where you find yourself in Kent, you will come across the County's insignia - the white horse and invicta motto.

The stories behind these two ancient symbols of Kent are very intriguing and shrouded in legend.

The white horse is said to trace it's history back to the fifth century AD when Saxon mercenaries, lead by brothers Hengist and Horsa, landed in Kent at the behest of Vortigern, ruler of the Britons.

Vortigern wanted Hengist and Horsa and their warriors to aid him in his war with the Picts and Scots. The Saxons were fearsome warriors and very successful in battle. Vortigern is said to have rewarded them by granting them control of the Isle of Thanet in East Kent.

The Saxons, however, were extremely ambitious. Sensing weakness, they turned against Vortigern, eventually forcing him to cede the whole of Kent to them.

The white horse is said to have appeared on Hengist's battle flag and has remained a symbol of Kent to this day.

Now to the second part of the story - the Invicta legend.

Fast forward to 1067. The Normans under William the Conqueror have defeated King Harold at the Battle of Hastings and are marching on London.

According to tradition, close to the village of Swanscombe, William and his men were met by the Kentishmen lead by Archbishop Stigand and Egelsine, the Abbot of St Augustines.

Each of Kentishmen carried a bough giving the appearance of a moving forest descending rapidly on the Normans. At a given signal, the boughs were cast aside revealing the Kentishmen armed and ready for battle.

However, the Archbishop and Abbot met with William and assured him of their allegiance, provided he was willing to grant certain privileges to the people of Kent and to respect their ancient rights and traditions.

Not wishing to commit his forces to another major battle so soon after Hastings, William is said to have agreed to the request.

The word invicta, meaning undefeated or unconquered, was adopted as the motto of Kent.

The monument shown in the picture above can be found in the grounds of St Peter & St Pauls in Swanscombe and was erected in 1958.

If you have enjoyed reading this post, please feel free to leave a comment. They are always welcome.

Further reading from the archives ....

They Burned for their Beliefs

The Meopham Air Disaster - 21st July 1930

Visit to West Malling

My Darent Valley Walk Part 2 - Lullingstone to Otford

As regular readers of this blog will know, I am gradually walking the 19 mile Darent Valley path from the hills near Sevenoaks down to Dartford on the River Thames in bite sized sections.

Following on from the first part of my walk I wrote about a few weeks ago, here is the story of my most recent walk from Lullingstone to Otford....

I started my latest walk from Kent County Council's Lullingstone Visitor Centre. From there I followed the waymarked path out of the Centre passing around the back of Castle Farm. The farmers had been busy cutting and baling hay ready for next Winter.

The path follows the bottom of the valley and eventually the bank of the River Darent itself into the historic village of Shoreham.

Just outside the village there is a large cross cut into the hillside to commemorate the men lost during the Great War (I wrote about this in a post last year).

The river flows through the centre of the village.

I have traced my family tree back to the late 1700's and at that time my ancestors all worked as labourers on the local farms.

The village church dedicated to St Peter and St Paul, was where they would have all been Christened, married and eventually buried!

The church, originally built by the Normans, has been much modified over the ensuing centuries. The striking tower was built in 1775. There are some beautiful stained glass windows inside the church.

The Millennium Window installed in May 2000.

A window depicting St George dedicated to the memory of Nigel Benjamin Cohen and Captain Stephen Behrens Cohen, only children of Sir Herbert and Lady Cohen.

Nigel was killed in a flying accident on 18th September 1931 aged only 23 and Stephen died on 10th February 1943 whilst on active service with the Queen's Own Royal West Kent Regiment. He is buried in Karachi war cemetery in Pakistan.

Leaving Shoreham the path continues through a golf course and open farmland.

I made a new beast friend on the way! (groan) I gave her some nice fresh green grass from my side of the fence and she then decided to follow me for the next half a mile.

In a recreation ground just outside the village of Otford, I came across a 1:5 billion scale model of the solar system. This was put in place as part of the village's Millennium celebrations in 2000 and is said to be the only one of it's kind in the world.

Each of the white plinths represents a different planet and the one with the chrome ball (to the right of the picture) represents the sun. Due to the scale, several of the "planets" are to be found on the other side of the village.

The path leads into the centre of Otford village where you will find the only listed duck pond in the country (in the middle of a roundabout). Up until Victorian times the villagers drew their drinking water supplies from the pond which was fed by a small stream.

Across from the duck pond is the church of St Bartholomew which dates back to the mid 11th century. The war memorial commemorates the dead of two World Wars.

Inside the church are several impressive monuments to various members of the Polhill family. The Polhills were direct descendants of Oliver Cromwell.

Detail from the memorial to David Polhill (died 1754), MP for Rochester and Keeper of the Records in the Tower of London.

Memorial to his brother Charles Polhill (died 1755) a merchant tailor in Smyrna (modern day Izmir, Turkey) who later became a Commissioner of Excise in London. Both memorials were the work of the eminent sculptor Sir Henry Cheere.

Just around the corner from the church are the ruins of Otford Palace built around 1518 by Archbishop Wareham on the site of an earlier fortified manor house (the site had been used as a residence by the Archbishops of Canterbury as far back as Saxon times). In it's heyday the Palace covered an area of four acres.

In 1537 Archbishop Thomas Cranmer was "persuaded" to cede the Palace to King Henry VIII. In 1601 Queen Elizabeth I sold the Palace to Sir Robert Sidney. Eventually the buildings fell into disrepair and the estate was split up and sold off as farm land.

I retraced my steps past St Bartholemews and the duck pond and headed out of Otford past the railway station. At this point, I joined the North Downs way for a long slog up Rowdow Hill.

I had noticed on the map there was a triangulation point at 204 metres and wanted to investigate. Whilst 204 metres may not be on the scale of Mount Everest or even Mount Snowdon, it is quite a big hill for Kent!

Although it was quite hard work getting to the top in the hot weather, the views on the way up were worth the effort. The triangulation point itself was in the middle of a newly cut grass field surrounded by trees.

Passing by the triangulation point I joined a narrow country lane heading back in the general direction of Shoreham. Someone had been overzealous when trimming the roadside hedges as I came across some BT men up a telegraph pole trying to repair the telephone cables which had also been liberally trimmed....

The lane continued past some farms and through glades of trees until I joined another public footpath which lead back down the valley and eventually came out on the main A225 Dartford to Sevenoaks road opposite the entrance to Shoreham railway station.

I crossed the busy road and continued past the station heading back towards Shoreham village. Just on the outskirts of the village I took a footpath which follows the rear wall of the graveyard of St Peter and St Pauls and then on through open fields.

I joined another path which lead back down to the main Darent Valley path passing by a small vineyard.

I'd noticed a mysterious monument marked on the O.S. map and once again decided to make a diversion off the Darent Valley path to take a closer look.

I walked along the very picturesque Mill Lane, named after the paper mill which operated there until the mid 1920's, up to the junction with the High Street and headed towards Lullingstone. A footpath runs along the edge of the High Street through fields and eventually joins Cockerhurst Road - the site of the mysterious monument shown on the map.

At first I couldn't find the monument but eventually I did locate it is hidden amongst the trees by the side of the road.

The stone monument stands about three feet tall.

On one face it is inscribed with a passage taken from the Bible (Hosea) - "Behold therefore I will allure her and will lead her into the wilderness and there I will speak to her heart". On another face the inscription reads "Pray for the soul of E.J.G.B" and on another "and of A.J.B".

Frustratingly I have not been able to find out anything about it so far but I would imagine it dates from at least the 1800's. If anyone out there knows who built it and/or why and who E.J.G.B and A.J.B were, I would be very pleased to hear from you.

I took Castle Farm Road passing through fragrant fields of lavender waiting to be harvested and finally found myself back at the Lullingstone visitor centre.

I wonder what my ancestors from the 1700's would have said if I'd told them that lavender and grape vines would one day be growing in their Valley?

You are welcome to leave any comments you may have about this post.

UPDATE - for Part 3 of my Darent Valley Walk please see here

UPDATE - the mystery of the memorial stone has been solved... please see here

You may also enjoy reading from the archives....

Visit to West Malling

Day Trip to Rochester

A Walk Around Grenham Bay