‘Treasure trove’ village picked for heritage scheme
Audit will list buildings and areas most at risk
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A village near Maidstone has been chosen as the first in the county to take part in a scheme designed to protect places of historical interest.
Hollingbourne is acting as the guinea pig for Kent Heritage Watch which is like Neighbourhood Watch but specifically aimed at preventing crime against listed buildings and archaeological sites.
Historic England, the body leading the scheme, has called on the parish council to help undertake an audit of its assets to found out which buildings and areas are most at risk.
It will allow the organisation to arrange for schemes such as dog walking patrols which can then keep an eye on archaeological sites to prevent criminal dam- age such as carried out by ‘night hawking’, which is illegal metaldetecting at night.
Historic England also suggests measures such as security lighting, anti-climb paint and CCTV, alongside vigilance among neighbours.
Parish councillor Alan Bennett said: “Hollingbourne parish is literally a treasure trove and we do have some extraordinary buildings, including one home that dates back to 1462, pre-dating the first Prime Minister by a few hundred years. We hope that this will create some interest in the village and that residents will help us, so we are hoping to rally the community.”
Hollingbourne has settlements that date back to Anglo Saxon and Roman times and in Broad Street, Eyhorne Street and Upper Street virtually every building has been listed as having special architectural or historic interest.
There are 106 protected assets, among them the grade I All Saints’ Church, two timber framed Tudor houses listed as grade II and grade II pub the Dirty Habit, which used to be the King’s Head, where King James II is reputed to have stayed.
Many archaeological finds have also been uncovered including Stone and Bronze Sge flint instruments by the River Len, a Bronze Age excavation where Anglo Saxons later buried the cremated remains of their dead, Iron Age and Anglo Saxon pottery and Roman coins.