Chilham

Chilham
Chilham Square
Chilham  Chilham shown within Kent
Area	13.85 km2 (5.35 sq mi)
Population	1,124 (Civil Parish)
– density	81/km2 (210/sq mi)
OS grid reference	TR065536
Civil parish	Chilham
District	Ashford
Shire county	Kent
Region	South East
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	CANTERBURY
Postcode district	CT4
Dialling code	01227
Police	Kent
Fire	Kent
Ambulance	South East Coast
EU Parliament	South East England
UK Parliament	Ashford
List of places UK England Kent

Chilham is a mostly agricultural village and parish in the English county of Kent with a clustered settlement, Chilham village centre, in the north-east, and a smaller linear settlement, Shottenden. Well preserved roads and mostly residential listed buildings in its centre has led to its use in recorded drama.

Settlements

The village of Chilham is in the valley of the Great Stour River and beside the A28 road 6 miles (10 km) southwest of Canterbury. It is centred on a market square, where a traditional annual May Day is celebrated. At each end of the square are its major buildings: Chilham Castle and the 15th-century parish church, dedicated to St Mary. It is believed that Thomas Becket was buried in the churchyard. The village has a number of period houses such as the former vicarage, which dates from 1742. The castle was owned by the Viscounts Massereene and Ferrard until its sale in 1997. As of 2013 it is owned by Stuart Wheeler, founder of the spread-betting firm IG Index.

The railway station, is in a part of the village sometimes called Bagham on the line from Ashford to Canterbury.

There are two other named localities or neighbourhoods in the civil parish: Shottenden and a much smaller neighbourhood, Old Wives Lees.

Amenities

There are two large pubs in Chilham, the Woolpack and the White Horse, which dates from the 16th century, The Star is the pub in Old Wives Lees. Other amenities include a restaurant and tea shop, post office, gift shop, bus stop, tennis club, sports center, children's playground and 15th century village hall which originally was the tithe barn for the castle. Most shops are also along the main through road towards Canterbury just before the entry to the network of streets having the oldest buildings in the village.

Culture and media

The Neolithic longbarrow of Julliberrie's Grave is on the Julliberrie Downs east of the river.

Chilham and the surrounding area was one of the locations for much of Powell and Pressburger's 1944 film A Canterbury Tale. In 1965 it was used for part of the filming of The Amorous Adventures of Moll Flanders starring Kim Novak, Leo McKern and Angela Lansbury, and it was also used as a location for the BBC's 2009 adaptation of Jane Austen's novel Emma. The village and the castle featured heavily in a fake snow-bound episode of Agatha Christie's Poirot called Hercule Poirot's Christmas starring David Suchet. The village was made over to sunnier times for The Moving Finger, a mystery featuring Agatha Christie's other famous sleuth Miss Jane Marple, portrayed by Geraldine McEwan.

External links

• Chilham parish