Additonal photos of their Bell House and grounds can be seen here:

HERE

Kent Links:

click here for Canterbury

click here for Maidstone

click here for Dover

And Listed On This Page:

Anyone For A Scotch Egg?

St. Nicholas Church, Boughton Malherbe

Other Places To Visit

The Channel Tunnel

Kent was settled before most other parts of England, and has the oldest recorded place name in the British Isles.

The County's history is closely bound up in it's proximity to mainland Europe.

Archaeological remains from prehistoric times show clear links between Kent and northern Europe, as well as a probable land link.

The building works and extensive road system connected with our Channel Tunnel has had the greatest impact on the County's communication links and economic structure since the first trading forays of the Belgae from northern France around about 400 BC.

Kent had no single urban centre, but rather several towns of medium size. As local administration developed, Kent was divided into two units, East (Men of Kent), administered from Canterbury; and West (Kentish Men), from Maidstone.

In 1814 these two seperate administrations were merged with Maidstone becoming the County seat.

Ease of access by water to London developed Chatham and Sheerness as dockland towns; and Margate and Ramsgate as seaside resorts. All the towns along the eastern sea coast were significant either as commercial ports or in the defence of the realm. Dover, Hythe, New Romney and Sandwich were four of the Original five "Cinque Ports."

Many paper mills were set up in the seventeenth century where sufficient water was available.

Tunbridge Wells became a fashionable spa town in the 1670's.

Elsewhere in the County, the dominant occupation was horticulture, and the growing of hops for brewing.

The hop, iron and cloth industries have provided the Kent landscape with two of the most prominent landmarks, the oast houses used for drying hops and the wealden hall houses of the Kent ironmasters and cloth manufacturers.

From the 1750's those parts of Kent nearest to London began to develop as suburbs of the capital. The County boundary was adjusted in 1889 when the present boroughs of Greenwich and Lewisham became part of London. These were added to in 1965 with the boroughs of Bromley and Bexley. Further parts of Kent lying between the A21 and the M25 were added to London in 1974.

Much of West Kent is now London commuter territory and towns like Maidstone, Sevenoaks and Tonbridge have expanded rapidly in size and population. The coming of the railways in the mid-nineteenth century was responsible for reviving the fortunes of Folkestone and for transforming Ashford from a small market town to the centre of railway communications in Kent.

During the war both Canterbury and Dover were heavily bombed by Germany and received numerous V1 and V2 rocket attacks from Calais during 1943.

The subsequent rebuilding of Canterbury and the enlargement of towns like Maidstone and Dover since 1963 has changed much of Kent.

But WHERE On Earth IS The Unfinished Stone Leaning? Easy as "PI" -- down the downspout and against THAT wall.

The sign reads: "The Millennium is CHRIST'S 2000th BIRTHDAY. Worship Him here - now." And can't you imagine when HE finished mowing the tummies of the dead, HE sat on this bench and posed and waved at the people as they went by?

Shall we take a lil' peek inside?

Interior shots of St. Nicholas Church.

St. Nicholas Church, St Nicholas Window.

The TOMstone in better TIMEs.

To the Right and behind the Trees ... HIS former residence.

To The RIGHT Kent Sheep To The LEFT Driveway To THE BELL HOUSE

THE BELL HOUSE

From St. Nicholas' Grounds THE BELL HOUSE -- Cemetery On TWO Sides

Walking Towards The Leaning TOMstone

The Unfinished Leaning TOMstone

Walking Away From The Leaning TOMstone

The Channel Tunnel

The Chunnel and Eurostar Services

Plagued by delays and billions of dollars in cost overruns,
the Chunnel has proven to be one of the world's largest
undertakings. The project cost more than $13 billion and
took seven years to complete. Napoleon's
engineer, Albert Mathieu, planned the first tunnel in 1802,
incorporating an underground passage with ventilation
chimneys above the waves. For obvious reasons the
British were nervous. Later, in 1880, the first real attempt at
a tunnel was undertaken by Colonel Beaumont, who bored
2,000 meters into the earth before abandoning the project.
When work on another tunnel began in 1974, the
Beaumont tunnel was found to be in good condition.
Construction of the current tunnels, which are 38
kilometers in length undersea and have an average depth
of 40 meters under the seabed, began in 1987.

Operated by British Rail, the French (SNCF), and Belgium
(SNCB) railways, the Eurotunnel provides three different
types of service between England and the Continent.

Eurostar provides passenger service, and
Le Shuttle provides automobile, coach, and lorry service
between Folkestone and Calais. International rail freight
rounds out the list.

Eurostar service is offered from London's new Waterloo
International Eurostar Terminal to Paris' Gare du Nord or
Brussels Midi station, in either direction. Travel times from
London to Paris are reduced from more than five hours to
three hours. BritRail pass holders receive a discount on
Eurostar tickets.

In 1996, service will be expanded to include Eurostar
originations from Glasgow, Edinburgh, York, Manchester,
Birmingham, and cities in between that link them to Paris
and Brussels in either direction. These direct daytime
Eurostar Regional Services will reduce travel times from
Edinburgh to Paris, for example, from more than twelve
hours to just over nine hours. European Night Services will
also be added for those wishing to arrive in Paris or
Brussels in time for breakfast. Night services will include
departures from London to Amsterdam, Dortmund and
Frankfurt, Germany. Both seated and sleeper
accommodations will be offered for overnight departures,
featuring onboard catering and luggage storage
compartments.

The Eurostar Trains

Those taking advantage of a trip from Paris or Brussels to
London on a Eurostar train are in for a treat. The trains
offer the comfort and amenities comparable to few trains in
the world. From departure you're in store for a smooth,
quiet, ride, and even when you enter the tunnel the only
noticeable change is the sudden darkness. Those
concerned with changes in air pressure needn't worry. Air
flow through the tunnel is regulated to minimize changes in
pressure, and few, if any passengers notice discomfort.

Eurostar staff are multilingual and are available to provide
assistance. You'll notice them right away, with their navy
blue uniforms with accented yellow scarves or ties. If you
have any questions, they are there to serve you.

Passengers traveling first-class are treated to an on-board
meal ranging from breakfast to dinner depending upon the
time of day. Second-class passengers are provided with a
buffet car; and roving refreshment cart services are
available at nominal costs.

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