A Canter Round Kent Trivia Quiz

Answer: Brewing

Oast houses were used for drying the hops once they had been picked and before they were used for brewing beer. A fire was built on the lower floor, and the hops spread out to dry on one or two floors above. They can be found all over Kent, which is a major hop growing area. Hops are now dried in big industrial processors and many oast houses have been converted into private homes.

Answer: Sissinghurst Castle

Poet Vita Sackville-West and her husband, Harold Nicolson, bought Sissinghurst in the 1930s, and they are responsible for the lay out of the gardens we see today. They are designed as a set of self contained rooms, each one with a theme. The white garden, which, as the name suggests, contains plants and flowers of white and silver, is world famous. Now owned by the National Trust, Sissinghurst is one of the most visited places in Kent.

Answer: Sir Winston Churchill

Winston Churchill and his wife, Clementine, bought Chartwell in 1922. At one time they considered selling it as they could not afford the upkeep of the house and estate, but a consortium bought the property and leased it to them on a lifetime lease at a nominal rent.

The condition was that when they died the property would go to the National Trust. After Sir Winston died his widow presented the house to the National Trust immediately, and it has been open to the public since 1966. Churchill spent many happy hours there painting and working in the grounds.

He built many of the garden walls himself and is said to have found the physical work therapeutic when he was in the grip of depression.

Answer: Hever Castle

Hever Castle was the family home of Anne Boleyn, and King Henry VIII was a frequent visitor there when he was courting her. The original castle dates back to the 1200s and it has gone through various conversions since. In the early 1900s it was in a semi derelict state. William Astor purchased it and completely renovated it in the style of the manor house the Boleyns lived in.

The links with Anne Boleyn and Henry VIII are a big tourist draw.

Answer: Rochester

Although the history of Rochester Cathedral goes back much further, the current building is of Norman construction, with some parts of the earlier buildings being preserved within it. The first Norman bishop was Gundulf, appointed in 1077, and he is responsible for the building that we see today.
Rochester has many links with Charles Dickens, and he expressed a wish to be buried in the cathedral. This was however ignored and he has his place in Westminster Abbey in the area known as 'Poets Corner'.

Answer: Sussex

The Medway rises in the High Weald in Sussex and flows for about thirteen miles through that county before entering Kent, where it flows into the sea at Rochester. At one time every town and village had wharves and docks where barges could load and unload various supplies and produce, vital to the rural towns and villages it flowed through.

The coming of road and rail transport means that it no longer has such heavy commercial use and has become more of a leisure river. The main exception to this is the naval dockyard at Chatham.

Answer: Tudor

Leeds Castle was originally built as a Norman stronghold. Nothing remains of this building, which was probably of motte and bailey construction. It became a Royal property in 1278, and in 1519 King Henry VIII made it into a residence for his first Queen, Catherine of Aragon.

In the late 1700s it passed into the hands of the Wykham Martins family. They had extensive holdings in Virginia, and the sale of these released money to remodel the castle in the Tudor style. The last owner, Lady Baillie, left the castle to a private charitable trust designed to preserve it for the benefit of the public, and it has been open to the public since 1978.

It hosts several outdoor concerts each summer, as well as various motoring and hot air balloon festivals.

Answer: Neolithic

Kit's Coty is close to Aylesford, and is in the immediate vicinity of five other surviving long barrows. They are all from the Neolithic period and are, collectively, referred to as the Medway megaliths. The Coffin Stone and the Countless Stones are within metres of Kit's Coty.

The Countless Stones get their name from a legend that says they cannot be counted, every time you try you will get a different total. The Coldrum Stones near Trottiscliffe are the best preserved of all the barrows. Chesnuts long barrow has twelve surviving sarcen stones.

It and Addington long barrow are both on private land and can only be visited by prior arrangement with the landowner. The other sites are owned by English Heritage and are open daily.

Answer: Warden of the Cinque Ports

Walmer Castle was built during the time of King Henry VIII as part of a chain of defences to protect the Kent coast from invasion by Spain or France. In the early 1700s it also became the official residence of the Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports. These were the ports of Hastings, Romney, Hythe, Dover and Sandwich which formed a confederation to provide ships and manpower to protect the coast.

In return they received considerable privileges. The Warden originally oversaw the affairs of the confederation and the position carried real power.

It is now an honorary position given to those who have given service to the state. Recent Wardens include Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, and Sir Winston Churchill.

Answer: Whitstable

Located about five miles from Canterbury, Whitstable has always relied on fishing of various types. The town itself predates the Domesday Book, and oysters have been collected from the sea since at least Roman times. These days the oysters come from farmed beds, giving security of supply to both fishermen and customers. Every year, in late July/early August, a five or six day oyster festival is held in the town to celebrate the bounty of the sea. Even though this is normally not oyster eating season, which traditionally is restricted to months with an R in them, oysters are brought ashore and distributed to restaurants and pubs in the area for the numerous visitors to enjoy.