Chiddingstone, Kent

 

Nestled in the High Weald, Chiddingstone is a well-preserved example of a Tudor one-street village. The National Trust, which bought most of Chiddingstone in 1939, says the village is very typical of the Kent style, with half-timbered sides, gables and stone-hung red-tiled roofs.  Chiddingstone still has its own post office, in a building that dates from 1453, its own pub (the Castle Inn) with lead-paned windows, as well as an inviting tea room in a courtyard. There is also an attractive fourteenth century church and even a mock Medieval castle, which sadly isn't visible from the high street. Chiddingstone, which is reputed to be named after a nearby sandstone outcrop, is surrounded by open rolling Kent countryside, which offers pleasant walking with sweeping views.