Guess the Place

[johnfilmer]

Is the town Maidstone?

[John Walker]

Not far from a large town and even closer to a village on the edge of that town.

[John Walker]

Not a mill pond JohnFilmer.

There is a mill and mill pond quite close.

[johnfilmer]

Millpond?

[John Walker]

Right - here we go.  Next one.

Where and what is this?

[MartinR]

OK, confusion was in my mind.

[John Walker]

Thanks JohnFilmer

I did spot the castle that MartinR mentioned but the chimneys didn't match up. (Image attached). It would have been a good GTP.

Next one up shortly.

[johnfilmer]

Sorry for confusion Martin, I was using the Castle and church to point to their associated rectory, which was the subject of the photo, cropped to avoid the instantly revealing pub sign.

[johnfilmer]

Got it!

It really is an old rectory, I checked on old OS maps, and Rectory Lane led to it from next to the school.

In recent years it has traded as “Henry’s Table”, “Chimneys” (very appropriate) and now back to “The Old Rectory”.

Used the old A228 a lot in the 70s and early 80s, worked in Snodland with the company fuel account in Larkfield. I then lived in Larkfield for about 3yrs, doubled my money on the house and moved to Grafty Green for the next 32yrs. Work and leisure meant that I drove these roads a lot over the years, we even had a firm’s Xmas “Do” at Chimneys.

Carry on JW😀

[MartinR]

I think that there is a little confusion here.  John Walker has certainly identified the photo, https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@51.3011444,0.4249468,3a,75y,267.61h,92.52t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1s_HIcnIiIqILI3ZvGvkBZ3g!2e0!6shttps:%2F%2Fstreetviewpixels-pa.googleapis.com%2Fv1%2Fthumbnail%3Fpanoid%3D_HIcnIiIqILI3ZvGvkBZ3g%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile.gps%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D170.35527%26pitch%3D0%26thumbfov%3D100!7i16384!8i8192!5m1!1e1?entry=ttu

However the clues point to a rather different place, Leybourne Castle hidden behind St Peter & St Paul on Castle Way (was main road, now 20mph).  Church school opposite the church.  From the aerial view https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@51.3042841,0.4215891,101m/data=!3m1!1e3!5m1!1e1?entry=ttu you can clearly see the gatehouse to the north of the property and even a slight crop marking for the original curtain wall and moat to the west.  The extended features are more clearly seen on the official listing: https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1363097?section=official-list-entry, where there is also a nice photo showing the gatehouse remains.

Location information:

• Address:                   Leybourne Castle, Castle Way, West Malling
• Nat Grid:                   TQ 68866 58910
• Nearest Post Code:   ME19 5HE
• Co-ords (WGS84):     51°18'15"N,000°25'16"E or 51.304262322316454,0.4211170481653

• Address:                   Oxley Shaw Lane
• Nat Grid:                   TQ 69105 58577
• Nearest Post Code:   ME19 5PU
• Co-ords (WGS84):     51°18'04"N,000°25'28"E or 51.30120,0.42438

[John Walker]

The Old Rectory, Oxley Shaw Lane, West Malling?  Looks like a restaurant now.  Only found it as I spotted Castle Way and Castle Lake nearby.

[John Walker]

Early clue was South of M20, so certainly not Upchurch!

Whoops - I forgot that clue when map surfing - must pay more attention!   

[johnfilmer]

Early clue was South of M20, so certainly not Upchurch!

Allington was a good start, go west (very ish), but not too far.

Breaking news…

Google Maps doesn’t name the castle! And the lane alongside the school no longer reaches our building, that now involves going a road further along and then round the houses, quite literally.

Moral don’t rely on older memories, roads change, the one past the church was a main A road, now it’s 20mph.

[MartinR]

Eh?  John - I'm no expert on Kent.  I only moved here to chase a job for a couple of years before heading back to my homeland in the North.  Something went a little awry with the timing though, "a couple of years" has stretched to nigh-on 40.

Looking at the map of the major rivers of Kent on the wikipedia page for the River Medway, I'd say the Medway valley is everywhere north of the High Weald in eastern Kent (apart from a strip of the Darent) and across past Headcorn nearly to Ashford.  North of the Medway Gap you could cavil about he word "valley", it's really the North Kent Plain, except where it's the mud originally from the Medway Valley!

[John Walker]

Upchurch?