CHILHAM CASTLES

Kent

Chilham is one of those places with two Castles.  It is an oddity in that the "New" Castle is better known than the "Old" one.

The earliest Castle here was probably a motte and bailey, built close to the Pilgrims' Way, possibly on the site of an Iron Age Hill Fort of some kind.  The building of the stone keep was started in 1171, and it is an early example of a non-square keep being basically a hexagon (like Odiham in Hampshire but with buttresses like Orford and Conisbrough) with a small forebuilding to one side.  A good deal of the curtain wall still exists, but the battlements have been removed.

Chilham went through a succession of owners but little of note happened here until the Castle passed to Sir Dudley Digges.  It was he who had the "New" Castle built between 1603 and 1616.  Chilham 'New' Castle is recognised as perhaps the finest Jacobean House in Britain, quite probably designed by Inigo Jones.

In 1878 Chilham was the venue for the first ever international cricket match between England and Australia.

For many years Chilham Castles and the wonderful grounds leading down to one of Kent's prettiest villages was on the tourist agenda.  But alas in 1995 the Castle was sold and is now locked away by some private and selfish person.

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2018