Discover the history and traditions of a unique part of Britain at this award - winning Museum. Set in a beautiful site next to the River Medway. This exceptionally fine regional museum housed in Chillington Manor a delightful Elizabethan manor house, boasts a rich and impressive variety of historical objects, fine art and natural history. The site includes the original sail loft and forge which have been converted to a museum devoted to the history of the Thames Sailing Barge and the associated industries of brick and cement making which once sustained the local fleet of barges. Over the centuries Leeds Castle has been a Norman fortress, a royal residence to six of England's medieval Queens, a palace to Henry VIII and, subsequently, a private home until as recently as 1974.
Distances shown are in a direct line.
Distances by road will be longer. More recently the area is renowned for its vast Bluewater Shopping Centre. Set in the heart of Kent, ideal for Maidstone, Chatham Dockyard, and Leeds Castle, the Bridgewood Manor Hotel has a classic Gothic flavour reflected in its interior design yet offers all the latest facilities. Originally built in 1890, this character building is four miles from Maidstone town centre with easy access to the M20. This family run hotel is a former Carmelite convent set in two acres of grounds on the edge of Maidstone.