Lieven & Lydia
Kent is full of lovely old village churches, but a few near us are genuinely special — whether for their setting, history or, in one case, some extraordinary stained glass.
These are four we think are particularly worth visiting.
1. All Saints’ Church, Tudeley
This is the one not to miss.
From the outside, All Saints’ looks like a fairly modest country church. Inside, it is completely different.
Every one of its twelve stained-glass windows was designed by Marc Chagall, making it the only church in the world where all the windows are by the artist.
The blues are particularly beautiful and, on a sunny day, the whole church seems to glow.
The first window was commissioned in memory of Sarah d’Avigdor-Goldsmid, who died in a sailing accident aged just 21. Chagall later went on to design the remaining windows.
More recently, Michael Portillo — colourful blazer and all — visited for BBC Two’s Great British Railway Journeys, telling the story of the Chagall windows and introducing this extraordinary little church to a whole new audience.
It is quite remarkable to find something of this calibre hidden away in the Kent countryside.
2. St Mary’s Church, East Farleigh
This one makes the list partly because it is just so picturesque.
St Mary’s sits above the River Medway in lovely East Farleigh, close to the old medieval bridge. The church dates back to the 11th or 12th century and has a wonderfully Kentish feel, with local ragstone and a shingled spire.
We like combining it with a wander down towards East Farleigh Bridge and the river.
If you like taking photographs, this is probably our favourite from the outside.
3. St Peter & St Paul, Yalding
And of course, our own village church.
St Peter & St Paul sits just behind Yalding High Street and is an easy walk from Woodlands Cottages.
Parts of the church date back to the 12th century, with much of the building from the 13th and 14th centuries.
It is worth wandering through the churchyard too — surprisingly peaceful considering it sits right in the middle of the village.
Combine it with a walk around Yalding, coffee and cake at the tearooms or lunch at one of the pubs.
4. St Mary the Virgin, Nettlestead
This is the slightly more obscure one — which is exactly why we like it.
The little church at Nettlestead dates partly from the 13th century, but the real reason to visit is its surviving 15th-century stained glass.
Several medieval panels remain, making it much more interesting than you might expect from such a small village church.
It is one of those places most visitors to Kent would probably never find.
If you only visit one…
Go to Tudeley.
The Chagall windows really are extraordinary.
For the prettiest traditional English church setting, choose East Farleigh.
And for somewhere quiet and slightly off the beaten track, try Nettlestead.