Charing: Guide, Hotels, Map & Photos
English|
GBP 70 - 90 The Oak
 Nestled at the foot of the North Downs, in the heart of the historic village of Charing, this charming guesthouse offers 8 stylish, newly refurbished … MoreGBP 35 - 104 Premier Inn Ashford North
 Located 4 miles (6.4 km) from Eurostar Ashford, this Premier Inn is northwest of Ashford town centre and has an on-site Beefeater restaurant.
A conve… MoreGBP 41 - 210 Holiday Inn Ashford North
 This recently refurbished, friendly hotel with spacious accommodation rests in a peaceful country location just 10 minutes’ drive from Ashford Euros… More | ||||||||||||||||||
Charing: Guide
Charing is a small village and civil parish in the Ashford (borough)|Ashford District of Kent, in south-east England. The parish population is 2,750 (Hobbs Parker web site, 2000); it includes the settlement of Charing Heath.
It is situated at the foot of the North Downs. The Pilgrims Way and the M20 motorway both cross the parish, whilst Charing railway station is located on the line between Maidstone and Ashford..
History
The name Charing first appears in Anglo-Saxon word cerring, which means a bend in the road, or it may be from Ceorra-ingas, which is Anglo-Saxon, meaning people of Ceorra. The village is sited on the Pilgrims Way from London to Canterbury, and is one day's walk from Canterbury. There are a number of old manors located around the village, such as Newlands (now a horse stud) and Pett Place. The village had a market recorded in 1285, and a fair recorded in the fifteenth century.
Places of interest
Its most famous building is the Archbishop's Palace, Charing|Archbishop's Palace, which lies by the church and was an ancient possession of the Archbishop of Canterbury. The palace was an important building in the diocese of Canterbury, and counted amongst its guests Henry VIII of England|King Henry VIII. It has been a farmhouse for the last 300 years. In 2004, the palace was an unsuccessful contestant in the BBC television programme Restoration, where a number of potential restoration projects throughout the UK competed for funds. The church is said to contain the stone on which John the Baptist was beheaded.
Village life
The village has a Church of England Primary School; a library; a doctors' surgery and a number of traditional shops. It also has several pubs and restaurants. The village is still surrounded by farmland, but the good transport links and housing development since the 1960s have also led to the area becoming a popular commuter village for people employed in London. The village has a strong community life, and the inhabitants organise regular community and charity events such as box-cart races and fairs. It is also known by its dominance of "youth chavs", where kids rebel against their upper/middle class upbringing
External links
This "Travel Guide" section is drawn from the Wikipedia article "Charing". We hope you will edit and improve it. It is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License.