Frittenden: Discover hotels and historic buildings

Frittenden brings together different aspects of local history: Historical Society meetings, a church with a medieval feature, historic buildings and the form of a watermill. When planning your trip, you can consider whether you are particularly interested in events, different building phases, or the use and design of historic buildings. Each example highlights a different aspect.

Historical Society Meetings

The Frittenden Historical Society holds meetings at Frittenden Memorial Hall from October to April. They take place on the last Tuesday of each month, except December. Visitors are welcome to attend talks organised by the Society. If you would like to include a talk in your plans, check the current date and visitor arrangements in advance: the event schedule and visitor arrangements may change.

The meetings offer a distinct way to explore local history, while the historic buildings raise other questions: for example, they reveal different periods of construction and architectural features. This can help you narrow down your interests when choosing a destination, rather than treating all historical topics as alike.

Church and Historic Building Phases

The Church of St Mary was largely rebuilt by R C Hussey between 1846 and 1848. The base of a 15th-century tower was retained. This means that a major 19th-century renovation and an older section of the building stand side by side. The surviving tower base marks the medieval building phase; the dates 1846 to 1848 and the architect identify the later rebuilding.

Another specific date in the village’s history is 1921, when the monument to Reverend Edward Moore was erected. Together with the building history of the Church of St Mary, this illustrates the difference between the date of a monument and the several building phases of a church. When comparing historical topics, you can keep these different ways of establishing a timeline in mind.

Oast Houses, Barn and Watermill

About 15 metres south of Manor Farmhouse is a complex comprising an oast house, an additional barn and a storage area. Its parts date from the 18th century or earlier, as well as from the early and late 19th century. A continuous, full-height passage was used as a threshing floor. So this example is notable not only for its different building periods, but also for the connection between its structures and a traditional use.

Another oast house, dating from the 18th century, lies about 25 metres north of Stone Court Farmhouse. The two examples offer different features for comparison: the group south of Manor Farmhouse comprises several structures and building phases, while the oast house north of Stone Court Farmhouse can be identified by its building type, location and 18th-century date. These reference points help distinguish the buildings.

At Maplehurst Watermill, the focus is instead on its shape: two wings form an L-shape. This description can be readily distinguished from the details about the age and use of the oast houses. If you are interested in building forms, you can compare different aspects: the watermill’s L-shaped plan, the passage used as a threshing floor, and the different dates of the oast houses.

Choosing Frittenden as a Destination

These topics offer different points of interest for your trip: a Historical Society talk focuses on a specific event date, while the history of the church and other buildings offers insights into different building periods, functions and forms. Consider which aspect matters most to you, then look for a suitable hotel in Frittenden. This way, you can start your choice with the destination and the topics described there, without making assumptions about the features of any particular hotel.

Discover more destinations: Smeeth, Alkham, Boughton Aulph, Shadoxhurst, Plaxtol, Eastry, Staplehurst, Staple

For the broader travel overview: Kent.