Our Churches and Communities
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 exterior of the church is of plain stone in Early English style, consisting of apsidal, turret with a single bell, nave and north porch.
Egerton Church is largely 15th century ragstone. With its six bell beacon tower, it can be seen for miles.
Hothfield Church is set high to the south of the village overlooking parkland and contains the 17th century Tufton Tomb.
St Mary the Virgin, Little Chart
In the ’fifties a new church was built in the village, to replace the old Little Chart Church, wrecked by a V1 Flying Bomb during the Second World War.
Pluckley Church contains the Dering Chapel with several memorials to the Dering family. One of these memorials commemorates the formation in 1689 by Sir Edward Dering of the 24th Regiment of Foot, later to become the South Wales Borderers and now part of the Royal Regiment of Wales.
The parish church of St Mary, Westwell, is a pilgrim’s church which nestles under the Downs, with duckpond and ancient houses for company.