"If you can't grow it here, you can't grow it anywhere"
Some say this motto is the very definition of Kent. Gardens fill the countryside, many of them hundred of years old. And don't forget the adjacent historic castles, traditional businesses, and many other attractions so near to London and the rest of Europe.
The most famous building in Kent is also the oldest, the famed Canterbury Cathedral. The first cathedral was built on this same site back in the sixth century, over 1500 years ago. The current cathedral, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, was constructed in the eleventh century, after a Viking raid and fire destroyed the building.
Leeds Castle was built back in the twelfth century on the grounds of a manor house dating back to the ninth century. It became a royal palace for King Edward I in 1278 AD. Henry VIII had the castle renovated for his first wife, Catherine of Aragon, and his daughter Elizabeth was imprisoned there for a short time before her coronation. The castle passed out of the royal ownership under Edward VI, and is now owned by a charitable trust. The castle and its gardens are an excellent family day-trip, with the added attractions of a playground for children, an aviary, and an exploring maze.
If you'd like to visit gardens a bit more tranquil, try the Goodnestone Park Gardens, built around the turn of the 18th century. These gardens sit in the triangle made by Dover, Sandwich and Canterbury. Literary history was made here -- Jane Austen, while visiting her brother, began writing her novel "Pride and Prejudice" here.
Going back a bit more in history to the 13th century, Hever Castle sits between East Grinstead and Sevenoaks. Anne Boleyn, the second wife of Henry VIII and the mother of Elizabeth I, grew up as a child in this castle. It later became one of the homes of Henry VIII's fourth wife, Anne of Cleves. Anyone interested in Tudor history will love to visit this place.
The Maidstone Museum and Bentlif Art Gallery, in the town of Maidstone, is housed in an Elizabethan manor house. It contains over 6000,000 artifacts and specimens in the areas of human culture and history, the fine arts, and natural history.
For a more contemporary museum, visit the Hornby Visitor Centre near Margate for a look at a comprehensive collection of scale-model railroad trains, run by the company that owns the Corgi and Hornby brands.
Contemporary is in the very name of the new Turner Contemporary Art Gallery, also in Margate and set to open in the spring of 2011. See the collections and installations of modern art, and discover the work to regenerate the entire Kent region.
Visit the Wildwood Discovery Park, on the road between Canterbury and Herne Bay and run by the Wildwood Trust, for viewings of the live animals native to Kent. See boars, lynx, badgers, deer and beavers in their natural settings. Stay for the animal feedings and the park talks.
A great place to end a visit to Kent is the Shepherd Neame Brewery in Faversham, the oldest brewery in Britain. Take a tour on the history of brewing in Faversham and on the actual operation of a working brewery. Stay for a tasting session where you'll be "taught" how to drink.
Author Resource:
Mrs M Brooks is the editor of Kent Life - the online Kent Magazine that celebrates all the finer things in life. Includes food and drink, fantastic properties, events, celebrity interviews, walks and competitions.
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