Chartham

Coordinates: 51°15′18″N 1°01′14″E / 51.255°N 1.0205°E / 51.255; 1.0205

Chartham is a village and civil parish on the Great Stour river in the vale of the Kent Downs, 4 miles (6 km) west of Canterbury, England. The Great Stour Way path passes through the village. A paper mill in the village has specialised in the production of tracing paper since 1938. There are numerous arable farms and orchards in the parish. The village has an unmanned station, Chartham, and a manned level crossing. It has an outlying locality sharing in many of the community resources, Chartham Hatch.

History

Toponymy

The earliest recorded form of the name is Certham. The name Chartham literally means ‘Village on rough ground’, and the word "Chart" is also found in other villages in Kent with this meaning.

Modern day

The river provided power for the paper mills until some point before 1955. Paper making has been a major occupation for the last 625 years; the mill dates from the late eighteenth century.

The dovecote at Burnt House Farm is not only notable for its building's architectural merit but is also a Scheduled Ancient Monument for its importance in sending homing birds to and from important envoys such as the Archbishop of Canterbury.