A HAVEN OF REFUGE...
The last leg of our day`s wander through the more distant parts of Kent took us to the village/township of Elham. (I wonder when a hamlet becomes a village, a village becomes a township, a township becomes a proper town and so on....)
Elham lies, unsurprisingly, in the lovely Elham Valley and within the `Kent Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty,` so I`m a little surprised that it is not more `touristy` than it sems to be. Maybe it was because we visited on a late Autumn day in the late afternoon but there was an air of quiet contentment about the place. We hardly saw anyone during our amble around, during which I took a couple of photos - the one at the top kind of sums up the sleepy ambience of Elham and the one below shows an example of the architecture that typifies the village......
Which might explain why it has become something of a haven of refuge, not only for those seeking a quiet backwater away from the maelstrom of modern day Britain but also for those, in times gone by, who were seeking escape and solace from other forms of intensity. A couple of examples:-
Former Prime Minister Sir Anthony Eden lived at Park Gate just outside of Elham during the Second World War and award winning actress Audrey Hepburn spent some of her childhood in Elham during the same period. (Elham is not the sort of place to `commercialise` its claims to fame but the entrepreneur in me would suggest that opening a place that does breakfasts and calling it Tiffany`s might work?)
Now Kent is of course a hotbed of cricket and it`s really no surprise to discover that Kent and England wicket-keeper/batsman Les Ames was born and brought up in Elham and another Kent and England cricketer, Mark Ealham used to live in The Square in the village. (The clue is in the name, I guess.) Among others finding peace in this tranquil setting is actress Pam Ferris, who has lived in Elham for the past ten years.
So it has a lot going for it and it was a real pleasure to spend a little time there, discovering its charm and some of its secrets and I look forward to our next adventures into the hidden byways of the county of Kent.
Which might explain why it has become something of a haven of refuge, not only for those seeking a quiet backwater away from the maelstrom of modern day Britain but also for those, in times gone by, who were seeking escape and solace from other forms of intensity. A couple of examples:-
Former Prime Minister Sir Anthony Eden lived at Park Gate just outside of Elham during the Second World War and award winning actress Audrey Hepburn spent some of her childhood in Elham during the same period. (Elham is not the sort of place to `commercialise` its claims to fame but the entrepreneur in me would suggest that opening a place that does breakfasts and calling it Tiffany`s might work?)
A quiet corner of Elham
Now Kent is of course a hotbed of cricket and it`s really no surprise to discover that Kent and England wicket-keeper/batsman Les Ames was born and brought up in Elham and another Kent and England cricketer, Mark Ealham used to live in The Square in the village. (The clue is in the name, I guess.) Among others finding peace in this tranquil setting is actress Pam Ferris, who has lived in Elham for the past ten years.
So it has a lot going for it and it was a real pleasure to spend a little time there, discovering its charm and some of its secrets and I look forward to our next adventures into the hidden byways of the county of Kent.
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