Offham Village lies in a rural setting below the North Downs close to West Malling between Maidstone and Sevenoaks. It's a pretty village, with a well-kept village green, and a replica of a medieval quintain, which was used for training in jousting. The original dated back to the 1500's.The Quintain also features on the attractive village sign, along with the hops and fruit that the area is renowned for.
The target is on a rotating arm at the top and the jouster had to ride at it at speed, hit it with his lance and then swerve violently out the way of the heavy weight on the other end, which would swing around and knock him off his horse if he wasn't quick enough, much the same as his opposition's lance would do in a real joust.
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