BRIDGE

 This is St. Peter's church. Originally, there was a Norman chapel on the site, but he main part of today's church was rebuilt by Gilbert Scott in 1859-61.

Tell-tale Norman arch, with beautiful carving

I do hate trying to photograph something covered in glass.

Absolutely gorgeous tiles around the altar

On the north side of the sanctuary are two low rectangular niches which contain the two halves of the effigy for Macobus Kasey (d. 1512). 

(below) this was a case of 'the lady brings the class, the man brings the brass'. Sir Arnold Braems was the son of an immigrant religious refugee from across the channel. Between the two of them, they built up quite a tidy empire in trade. Both of his wives came from old Kentish families who had become impoverished. Sadly, he lost both of them within 10 years. 

After buying the local manor, he pulled down the house, and built himself Bridge Place, which stood just behind the church.

Later owners pulled down most of the house, leaving just the corner we see today, still quite substantial. It is now a hotel

relief sculpture in a tympanum panel. Was this set originally inside a 12th century doorway?

The church exhibits some beautiful stained glass

There is a separate section of the churchyard dedicated to the East Kent Regiment (The Buffs). I didn't photograph it.

Just behind the church, stands Bridge Place, now a hotel.

Bridge Place was built around 1638 – probably on the site of an ancient hall dating back to the Abbey of Augustine - by Sir Arnold Braems, the first manager of Dover Harbour and a member of the Restoration Parliament. He was knighted by Charles II in Canterbury on his way to claim his throne in London. Sir Arnold seems to have known everybody who was anybody in society and government, including the Lords of Admiralty and Samuel Pepys. And it was not just in London that Sir Arnold mixed with high society; Bridge Place seems to have been a great society attraction. 

Bridge Place was the greatest house in East Kent, second only to Chilham Castle. It was originally much larger, with two wings enclosing a courtyard and surrounded by elegant gardens. Unfortunately, the expense of constructing and maintaining the building, and the lavish entertainment, nearly ruined the estate so the heirs sold the property in 1704 to John Taylor Esq of the neighbouring estate of Bisrons, who - for reasons that are unclear, perhaps for economy or because of fire damage, or, it has been suggested, through envy - pulled down the greater part of the building leaving only one wing standing, the Bridge Place we know today.

When I was a teenager, it was a rock n roll club, where we saw groups like the Kinks and Led Zeppelin. Later, in the 70s and early 80s, it was a nightclub (where the DJ played so many BeeGees records, it nearly put me off them for life!)

High on the hill on the road from Bridge to Patrixbourne, stands Higham Park, built in 1768. Now called Highland Court,it is a private residence. I so wish someone would find some public use for it. It's such a handsome building.

It has such a fascinating history.  At one point it belonged to Count Louis Zborowski, who built and raced the original 'Chitty Bang Bang' and who was one of the founders, along with Captain Howey, of the Romney, Hythe and Dymchurch Railway.

I could say a lot more about the fascinating history of Higham, but it would take up too much space. However, you can read it Here  It really is worth a read.

This little bridge, which crosses the Nailbourne, stands out in a field between Bridge and Patrixbourne. Mostly used by sheep, although it is closer to Patrixbourne, it was probably a feature of the Higham Park lands.

Bridge used to lay on the notorious A2, the main route from the port of Dover, to Canterbury and London, It is now by-passed by the A2 dual carriageway - but not until the villagers of Bridge suffered heartache, and took the Government to task.

It all started in January 1962, when a pensioner called George Smith was knocked down and killed as he left the village shop. The villagers had been predicting a tragedy like this for some time. The road was getting busier and busier, and the traffic was getting too large for the narrow village street.

The Government promised a by-pass ------ and did nothing.

Then, in 1963, two lorries and a bus collided in the middle of the village, and the protest gained momentum.

Demonstrations carried on until 1969, when the villagers started blocking the road with sit-down protests. When, in 1972, a meat truck demolished a shop, trapping a young girl and killing the driver, over 300 villagers sat down in the road. 

Later that year, the numbers swelled to over 1,000 and the tailback of stationary traffic was described as 'impressive'.

Work began on the by-pass the following year.