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Coldrum Longbarrow
Coldrum Longbarrow is the least-damaged megalithic longbarrow in Kent and takes its name from the now demolished Coldrum Lodge Farm. It is possible the name 'Coldrum' derived from the old Cornish word 'Galdrum' which means 'place of enchantments'.
Owned in perpetuity by the National Trust since 1926 in memorial of Benjamin Harrison, an Ightham historian, this 3,000 year-old burial chamber is the only one of those originally present in the Medway Valley to remain virtually intact.
Measuring 30 x 18 metres, this ancient listed monument now comprises of 15 sarsen stones on a raised earth bank, forming a circle. Excavated on more than one occasion in the early 1900s, the bones of 22 people were discovered which are now in Maidstone Museum. The well-documented excavations are not the only disturbance this site has suffered and the stones as seen today are not in their original positions.
Between the car park and to the west of Coldrum Longbarrow, the remains of the ancient field systems can still be detected. The North Downs form an impressive backdrop to this site, with impressive views to the east, towards Blue Bell Hill.
Morris men traditionally dance at dawn on May Day and are allowed inside the fence, erected in 1982, normally restricting the public from the immediate area of the stones. This site is held in high regard by a number of travelling groups who value the spiritual and historical significance of the site.
Facilities
A car park, half a mile from the site at Trottiscliffe, parks up to ten vehicles, and visitors on foot are well served by a number of rights of way.
Wrotham Water
The National Trust has owned Wrotham Water, in part, since 1947. This 182-hectare property rises from 60 to 200 meters above sea level, and is part of a SSSI for the calcareous grassland that supports many endangered orchids, and butterflies. The steep south east facing slopes here on the North Downs in Kent are the only known site for the Milkwort feeding Micromoth.
Wrotham is a working farm, mainly arable, but managed within a conservation plan to maximise benefits to wildlife by creating beetle banks, new hedges, conservation headlands and pond restoration. Field size has now been reduced to incorporate these features and a woodland grant scheme exists to preserve and enhance conservation and the landscape.
The local community has been involved through a programme of guided walks and by discussion on issues such as preserving the ancient boundary hedge which divides the parishes of Wrotham and Trotiscliffe which straddle the property.
A network of rights of way crosses the holding including the long distance paths of the North Downs Way and the Pilgrims Way
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