URPoint Details
This pleasant village has been known for its ragstone quarrying since both the Romans and the Anglo-Saxons quarried the stone. Remains of a Roman bath house have been excavated.
Stone from the quarry was used in the building of Westminster Abbey, and Henry III ordered a large quantity of cannon balls to be from this stone.
Much of the village stands on the old quarries, and as they were worked out, houses and roads were built over them.
Both the manor house – Boughton Monchelsea Place and St Peter’s Church are ragstone buildings.
St Peter’s Church is ragstone, the church tower is Norman but the rest is of a later date the lych-gate was erected in 1470 and was built entirely without nails and is believed to be the oldest in England.
- Type:
- Landmark