Visit report (Jigsaw)

Some while ago we paid a visit to a rather odd village called Thorpe, tucked away behind the M3/M4 junction and some gravel pits. It turned out to be rather an old place and blessed with what we thought was some kind of a large religious establishment but which, on closer inspection was probably an outfit called TASIS (see http://england.tasis.com/).

So yesterday, happening to notice that Jigsaw 5 was not very far away, we decided that we would pay it a visit. It turned out to be another rather old place tucked away behind junction 5 of the M20, just across and above the Medway, just before it bends off north and heads through a gap in the North Downs on its way to the Thames; the Kent equivalent of the Mole Gap. The illustration from south of the river clearly is The Jigsaw, but I think Waddingtons must have either taken their picture with a rather fancier camera than mine (which would not be difficult) or from a boat on the river.

The church of St. Peter & St. Paul looked as if it contained old parts and might have been interesting but for the porch door being severely chained up. There was a notice saying that one could call at the vicarage for a key but this seemed a bit mean the day after Christmas, with the vicar probably still in bed after his exertions of the days before. Instead, we headed off to the disused church of St. Mary the Virgin at Burham, which before the black death carried most of them off, had done rather well from the pilgrims for Canterbury coming across the ferry from Snodland to Burham. The church was in the care of a conservation trust but was rather damp nonetheless, with some sinister looking patches on one of the main roof beams, and it was not clear that it would be practical to keep the place up for many more centuries, despite having two Norman fonts, one of a square design which was new to me. Just down the lane from the church one had the Medway itself, largely meandering through reed beds, these last looking to be the property of some bird trust. All very untouched, looking pretty much as the Vikings would have seen it as they rowed up river looking for a nunnery worth the stop, although one did have much industrial activity in the middle distance.

Quite a lot of old housing, including one red brick house from around 1750 with height of ceiling being nicely graduated from the ground floor up to the fourth floor. According to BH, the idea was ground floor for impressing visitors, first floor owners, second floor children and third floor servants, these last either stooping or short.

Between the two churches touched by a sturdy beggar for £2.37p, the change that I happened to have about me at the time, the only person that we spoke to during our visit, having decided not to lunch at 'The Chequers'.

On the way out we paid a short visit to the car park at The Friars, which really was a large religious establishment, with something of the flavour of Walsingham about it, apart from the large numbers of assorted ducks and geese, not present at Walsingham. Certainly geared up for lots of faithful visitors in just the same way. See http://www.thefriars.org.uk/.

PS: I rather envy the inhabitants of Snodland. Splendid sub-Tolkienish sort of name to have in one's address, if not quite up to the 'Soddy Daisy' near Chattanooga. See http://www.soddydaisytn.gov/. A city which we were contemptuously told by a young waitress of Chattanooga ran to only two Wal-Marts. What a dump.