The village of Aylesford, with a population of approximately 5000 at the time of writing, lies on the river Medway, about four miles to the northwest of Maidstone, Kent. There has been a settlement at Aylesford since neolithic times, as evidenced by the remains of a number of local burial chambers. The most famous of these are Kit’s Coty House and Little Kit’s Coty House (also referred to as the Countless Stones).
Aylesford has been suggested as a possible location for the Battle of the Medway in 43 AD, a two-day battle between the invading Roman army and native British tribes, which the Romans won.
A battle that definitely did take place in Aylesford was the Battle of Aylesford, which saw the Ancient Britons, led by a warlord called Vortigern, square off against the invading Anglo-Saxons, led by the Germanic brothers Hengist and Horsa, in 455 AD. Historians are not clear about who, if anybody, won this battle, although it is believed that Horsa was killed in it.
Records dating from the tenth century show that Aylesford was at that time called Æglesforda, which means Ægel's ford – presumably after some local dude.
Following a successful invasion by the Normans in 1066, the manor of Aylesford was owned by William the Conqueror, who gave some of the land to the Bishop of Rochester as compensation for the land seized by William in order to build Rochester Castle. The church of St. Peter and St. Paul, which sits on top of a small hill overlooking the village, is of Norman origin.
I was baptised in Aylesford church. I also attended church here on Sundays for much of my childhood, and sang in the church choir. My parents were married here, as was my brother and several of my relatives. It is also here that the funerals of both my parents took place.
The church also has a claim to fame for featuring in the opening scene of the 1967 film “Half a Sixpence”, a musical comedy starring Tommy Steel and Julia Foster.
Aylesford has a Carmelite monastery called The Friars, which is believed to occupy the site of a medieval manor house dating back to the 11th century. Originally a Carmelite convent established by crusader Ralph Frisburn in 1240 on his return from the Holy Land, the estate has changed hands numerous times.
The main part of the house was destroyed by fire in 1939. Since 1949, the estate has been owned by the Carmelites, who restored some of the original buildings and added four chapels. One of these, the Relic Chapel, houses the remains of St. Simon Stock. The Friars is a popular destination for pilgrims, and hosts numerous conferences and retreats.
Aylesford is thought to be one of the earliest places on the river Medway to have a bridge. The original bridge at Aylesford is thought to date from the 14th century, although the existing bridge was probably built much later. There are in fact two bridges across the river at Aylesford. The old bridge is now used only for pedestrian traffic, whilst a much more modern bridge carries road traffic.
The modern bridge was preceded by a more modest bailey bridge, which if memory serves only carried traffic in one direction. As a boy, I and some of my friends used to cross the river by clambering along the steel supports underneath the bridge itself. Amazingly, none of us ever fell into the river!