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History
One of the prettiest villages in Kent, and perhaps England, Chiddingstone is a beautiful example of a Tudor one-street village. It is very typical of the Kent style, with half-timbered sides, gables and stone-hung red-tiled roofs.
The National Trust bought the entire village, including the church, houses and post office, in 1939 to ensure its preservation. The houses in the village are generally of the 16th and 17th-century. However, the building that is now the post office is mentioned as far back as 1453 and many of the other buildings probably took materials from earlier settlements. Over 70 per cent of the buildings in Chiddingstone are more than 200 years old.
The village was built during the Wealds' iron industry and used to be larger. With the expansion of Chiddingstone Castle, formerly High Street House, several houses were demolished to make space for the castle grounds. The village road, which used to be straight and longer, now bends round and follows the boundary of the grounds.
Just outside the village, a footpath leads to the Chiding Stone - a large carved sandstone boulder - from which the village gets its name. The popular tale is that either nagging wives or wrong-doers were brought to the stone and 'told off' - or chided - by the assembled village. It is also believed to be an old Saxon boundary marker and a Druids' altar. There is no strong evidence to support or disprove any of these theories and, indeed, either all or none may be true.
Although the village is owned by the National Trust and is open all year, the houses themselves are not open to view. Chiddingstone Castle is not owned by the Trust but by the Denys Eyre Bower Trust and is open to the public.
Facilities
The National Trust-owned Castle Inn serves good food, has plenty of parking and a panel with information about the area.
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