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St Peter and St Paul, Charing

St Peter and St Paul, Charing

Charing Church stands at the heart of the village, next to the remains of the Archbishop’s Palace, just off the High Street. The west tower of the church is over 600 years old, though the rest of the church was rebuilt in the sixteenth century, after a disastrous fire.

The Village

Introduction

Charing is an historic village on the Pilgrims Way and has the ruins, which are now part of a farm, of one of the oldest manor residences of the Archbishops of Canterbury. The church, the oldest part of which dates back to the 13th century and the farm are bordered and enhanced by a newly registered village green. The village green, which was only the second in the country to be registered under the new Registration Act 1991, is considered to be one of the village’s most attractive features. Charing won the 1996 and 1997 South East in Bloom Competition large village class.

Facilities

• Anglican (Parish) Church
• doctors surgery with pharmacy
• fire station
• general stores and post office
• library
• Methodist Church
• pre-school
• primary school (www.charingschool.ik.org/home.ikml)
• public houses and restaurants
• railway station
• recreation grounds with children’s play areas
• variety of specialist shops and petrol filling stations
• village halls
• www.ashford.gov.uk
• www.charing.info
• www.kentarchaeology.org.uk (for monumental inscriptions in the churchyard)

Organisations

• Brownies
• Church groups
• Cubs
• drama group
• elderly organisations
• gardening club
• GP car service
• grocery delivery service
• Guides
• Kent Karrier
• pharmacy delivery service
• Point-to-point racetrack
• Scouts
• skateboard park
• various sports clubs:
  • football
  • tennis
  • cricket
  • bowls
• WI
• youth club

Population

According to the 2001 census, the number of people in Charing was as follows: