Kent Historical Facts

The King's School in Canterbury, England, is Britain's oldest public school and arguably the oldest continuously operating school in the world, as education on the Abbey and Cathedral grounds has been uninterrupted since AD 597.

The first mention of the White Cliffs of Dover was by Julius Caesar when he came over with two legions of soldiers, describing how it was unsuitable for landing there, and witnessing enemy troops lining the hilltops. The romans would later build two lighthouses along the cliffs for the Roman ships to navigate by. One of these lighthouses (called a Pharos) still stands today on the site of Dover Castle.

The village of Ightham in Kent, was once famous for growing Kentish cob nuts.

Legend has it that during the Medieval times, nagging wives were taken to the chiding Stone in Kent, where they were 'Chided' as punishment by local villagers. This is possibly how the village of Chiddingstone got its name.

The Roman Lighthouse at Dover Castle is the most complete standing Roman structure in England, and the tallest Roman building north of the Italian Alps that is still left standing. It is also one of the oldest buildings in England, at almost 2,000 years old.

The largest castle in England is Dover Castle, in Dover, in the county of Kent.

The peculiar looking Sir John Boys House (Crooked House), is said to be the most photographed building in Canterbury, Kent.

In the market square in the town of Dover, is a timber-framed building called 'Dickens Corner Cafe'. So called as Charles Dickens placed his fictional character, David Copperfield, on the steps of the building that at the time was a bakery.

Queen Victoria used to occasionally worship at St Laurence Church just outside Ramsgate in an area known as St Lawrence. The different spellings are alleged to be the result of an error in the 1700's and perpetuates to this day.

The Church of St Martin's in Canterbury was the private chapel of Queen Bertha of Kent, whose influence led to the introduction of Christianity to Anglo-Saxon England. Queen Bertha was canonized as a saint for her part in its establishment.