Coldrum Long Barrow

Built over 6,000 years ago, Coldrum Long Barrow stands as Kent’s best-preserved megalithic chambered tomb. It remains the only long barrow in the Medway Valley to survive largely intact.

The site takes its name from the now-demolished Coldrum Lodge Farm. ‘Coldrum’ may derive from the Cornish ‘Galdrum’, meaning ‘place of enchantments’, reflecting its enduring sense of mystery. Surrounded by sarsen stones, the monument continues to inspire curiosity and quiet reflection.

It also remains a place of congregation and ritual. Each May Day at dawn, the Hartley Morris Men gather to ‘sing up the sun’, performing traditional dances and songs among the stones.

The National Trust took ownership in 1926 in memory of local historian Benjamin Harrison. In partnership with Historic England, the enclosing fence was removed to mark 100 years of care, inviting visitors to experience and explore this special place more closely.