SMARDEN

 Strangely the name translates as fat or grease pasture! What it actually means is rich pastureland, resulting in a good supply of milk and butter.

Smarden is one of those little villages which abound in Kent and Sussex. They benefit from being slightly off the beaten track, on roads that go from nowhere to nowhere of any importance. 

It has a large accumulation of half-timbered, ancient houses clustered around a very pretty church. More than 100 of them are listed buildings. It has suffered little from being heavily featured in 'The Darling Buds Of May' TV series with David Jason et al. Although the houses vary greatly in size and design, the appearance of the village is unified by the roofs almost invariably being of the same rich red 'Kent Peg' tiles.

The main entrance to the churchyard, is through the corner of this house, forming a sort of lych-gate, leading from a small paved square open to the main village street.

The church of St, Michael The Archangel has a great deal to recommend it, but as it lays back off of very narrow lanes with sharp bends, you need to hunt about a bit for somewhere safe to park. I 'borrowed' a tiny corner of the pub car park - one of the benefits of being on my little 125cc motorcycle today, rather than the 650. 

The parish church of Smarden is known as 'the Barn of Kent', a tribute to the width of its aisleless nave. The nave is 36 feet in width and is supported by a scissor-beam roof system of intersecting timbers.

It has many other interesting features, including some beautiful glass and wall paintings. There is an annual bequest of John Handen, who left 6s 5d (32p) for the purchase of new bell ropes.

(above) beyond the sedilla (wall seats) to the right of the alter, is a rare wafer oven

These 20th century wall paintings, which replace lost medieval ones, use villagers as their models.

The churchyard is well-kept, and the war memorial is actually incorporated into the end wall, rather than being a free-standing monument. 

Shepherd Neame, as well as being the oldest family-run brewery in the UK, are also amongst the best at ensuring that their public houses retain their age-related character and their wonderful inn signs. The Flying Horse is no exception, and retaining its' character is essential when the pub stands in the middle of a truly ancient village

Smarden saw high historical drama when 66 local men took part in Jack Cade's ill-fated 1450 rebellion against high taxes and prices.