AYLESFORD

The Bridge and the Church of
SS. Peter & Paul.
© P.E. Blanche 2004

Aylesford is said to be one of the oldest sites of continual habitation in England. The normal picture of this town is of the old 14th Century bridge that crosses the Medway with its pointed arches and triangular buttresses. The Village and the Church of SS. Peter and Paul have associations with Dame Sybil Thorndike as her Father was once the Vicar of this Parish.

I am including this West Kent town as I had an enquiry about one of the features of the area which stands just to the North on Blue Bell Hill known as "Kits Coty Corner". The person that originally contacted me about this place has a print entitled "Ket's Coity House, Kent". The feature, a "poor man's Stonehenge", consists of three large stones with a large stone resting across the top.

One reference I have states that it is not known exactly when the stones were erected but it is possible that they mark the grave of one, Katigern, a British leader who was supposedly killed in battles with the invading Saxons. The same reference however, does state that the probablity is that the stones were set here well before Saxon times. The total weight of the four stones is meant to be around 30 tons. It is said that these stones could be local but there are collections of other upright stones in the area, not as large in size that are said to have been brought into Kent, possibly from Europe somewhere. The other stones, known as the "Countless Stones" are scattered further down the hillside from Kits Coty Corner.



© P.E. Blanche 2000

KIT'S COTY HOUSE

The visible remains at Kit's Coty were part of the rectangular stone burial chamber which once stood at the east end of a large mound or barrow. The mound was constructed by digging a quarry ditch along each side which has since been infilled. These long barrows were built during the early Neolithic period (3,500 - 2,800 BC) and represent the burial places of Britain's early farming communities.

Long barrows are a rare survival, and are often associated with other ritual monuments of various periods. Kit's Coty is part of a small group in Kent, and is perhaps the best preserved example.

(This notice appears on a small board placed in front of the monument by English Heritage).

A second and more recent source states that Kits Coty Corner is Kent's little Stonehenge and estimates the age as some 5,000 years old. The stones are said to be all that remain of a 200ft long burial chamber. This, of course is quite possible as the whole of Kent is dotted with ancient burial chambers and tumuli. Apparently, the stones were originally inside the burial chamber but in recent times for some reason, erosion washed away the soil on the surrounding mound and left the stones where they can be seen today. I suppose the fact that they still stand it more by luck than judgement as they no longer have their supporting earth walls which would have been there when the stones were first set in place. The fact that the stones have been recently exposed could explain why they have not weathered badly themselves as it would probably take a few more hundred years to cause real damage. Of course these stones are meant to have associations with the Druids but that seems to be a standard claim with any of these ancient groups of stones.
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