In the Parish of Calehill with Westwell

In the Parish of Calehill with Westwell. . , St Mary, Westwell , The church of St Mary stands in the centre of its beautiful and peaceful village. It was built in the 13th century and has a stone vaulted chance with a unique stone chancel screen. Pevsner's "The Buildings of England" considers the beautiful, spacious interior to be a delightful surprise. The central lancer of the east window contains a complete 13th century Jesse windows one of only two in the country to be found in parish churches. The upper part is entirely original and the lower section has been restored using glass of the period. The west tower is one of three in the benefice to have a fine medieval timber shingled spire., Holy Trinity, Charingheath , The pretty and intimate church of Holy Trinity serves the people of Charing Heath and Lenham Heath. The church building was built originally in 1861 as an infants' school and chapel of ease. In 1869 the chapel was extended to the east and a new school and vicarage were built. The enlarged church and churchyard was consecrated in 1872 and the ecclesiastical parish was created in 1874., St Peter and St Paul, Charing , The church of St Peter and St Paul has a striking tall typically Kentish stone tower, described Reyner as amongst the most ambitious in the county, built between the late 15th and early 16th centuries. The splendid 16th century roof was built after a disastrous fire in 1590. The church is only one of eight in the country to retain a Vamping Horn, a form of speaking tube designed in the 18th century to amplify the voice of the choir leader before organs were introduced. To the west of the church stands the former Archbishop's Palace, later used as a farm built in the 14th century., St Nicholas, Pluckley , Although there is evidence of Roman and Romance work to the exterior north west end of the nave. St Nicholas church mostly dates om 13th century. The church was expended by the building of a large south aisle and Lady Chapel in the 15th century. After the reformation the Lady Chapel became the pet chapel of the local Dering family who lived in the nearby Surrenden Dering. In more recent times, the church, and the village, was the setting of the television series "The Darling Buds of May". The fine pipe organ built by Robin Jennings in 2008 is regularly used for teaching and practice and is one of the finest organs in Kent., St James, Egerton , Largely of the 14th century, the massive Kentish tower of St James built in the 15th century is visible for miles around. The church, which is approached from the main street in the village, contains the remains of the monuments of the Darrell family from Calehill salvaged from the ruins of the old Little Chart parish church destroyed in the war. The chancel is dominated by what is believed to be the oldest 36 branch chandelier made in the 17th century for All Saints, Maidstone., St Mary the Virgin, Little Chart , The attractive modem brick building of St Mary the Virgin with its tower containing a fine ring of beds was built in 1955 and replaces the medieval church on the Pluckley Road some distance from the village, which was destroyed during the war. The church is now a chapel of ease in the parish of Charing., St Margaret, Hothfield , The friendly church of St Margaret stands in its beautiful churchyard in countryside just outside the village, its medieval shingled spine advertising its presence amongst the surviving buildings of the manor house, Hochfield Place. After a lightning strike in 1558 the building was restored in 1603 by Sir John Tufton whose spectacular monument stands to the north side of the chancel. The historic Holditch organ was originally built for the manor house, where it was probably played by Sir Arthur Sullivan, a frequent guest of Lord and Lady Hothfield. Legend has it that the composer worked on the musk of "The Lost Chord" during his visits.