St Rumwold's Church, Bonington - Ashford

 St Rumwold Church 

Date March | Location Bongton | Delmoihsed  No |

This was the third church we visited that day before heading to the event we were attending, as it was on the way. This church was quite charming and very similar to other churches we have explored in our area. It was a relaxed visit, but we weren't inside for long.

The church was built by the Normans and is a Grade I listed building.

 

Go outdoor/Tesco - Chatham

 Go Outdoors/Tesco 

Date: March 

Location: Chatham 

Delmoished - Yes 

I finished work early and was driving through Chatham when I noticed that more of the Go Outdoors/Tesco area had been demolished. Curious, I walked over to the fence and took a photo. While I was there, I spoke to one of the workers and asked if they could let me inside to take some pictures of the old Go Outdoors before it was completely gone. They suggested I talk to their manager.

 

I went around to the back and had a conversation with the manager, who kindly agreed to walk around with me and let me take some photos of the site before it was fully demolished. I really appreciate their generosity. We chatted about a few other things, and I mentioned that I would wait to post the pictures until the site was completely down, which is why you're seeing this post after the demolition.

 

I used to shop at Tesco and have fond memories of running up the walls and doing parkour there when I was about 16 with my friends. I also remember visiting Go Outdoors when it was still open. What amazed me during my visit was how large the building was, especially the ceiling area, which used to have a drop ceiling. I never got to see the place before it was stripped, but I'm glad I had the chance to see it now.

Tesco shut in 2015 , And then go out doors took over and shut in august of 2020 , and sat abandoned for 5 years  before it was approved for flats and house what work started on feb 21st 2025 .

St John the Baptist Church, Mersham - Ashford

 St John The Baptist 

Date March | Location Ashford | Delmoished No 

About 10 minutes from the Smeet Church, we found a lovely little church. Most churches have a similar layout, but each one is very cute and unique in its own way. Since we had some time to kill, we decided to go inside and look around. As usual, my daughter started asking me all kinds of questions.

Once again, St. John’s is one of the churches that is part of the Stour Downs parish. It is noted that the church dates back to 1086 AD, as recorded in the Domesday Book, but it was rebuilt by the Normans. It is also said that the church has remained substantially the same since then.

St Mary the virgin - Smeeth - Ashford

 St Mary the Virgin 

                                      Date : March | Location Smeet - ashford | delmoised - No 

This beautiful little church is open to the public and is tucked away in a small town called Smeeth. There are several other churches to visit in the area. My daughter and I spent some time there taking photos and exploring. She was full of questions, which was lovely to see.

It is noted that this charming church is one of six churches in the "Stour Down Parish." The church was built using flint sourced from a local quarry, and its origins date back to Norman times. A chapel was added in the 13th century, and the porch was constructed in the 15th century. The church tower was restored in 1881.

Type 23 - Ashford

 Type 23 

Date : March | Location Ashford | Delmoished No |

There isn’t much to say about this exploration other than it was a quick stop on my way home. I spotted it on Google Maps while taking a different route after an event. It was pretty cool to see, but it was sealed up, so I couldn’t get inside. However, it’s nice to see that it has been preserved and taken care of

Like the other pillboxes in the area, this one is a Type 23 used during WWII.

South forelands LAA Battery - Dover

LAA BATTEY 

                                              Date  March | Location Dover | Delmoished No |

I had this pinned for a while, i had child-free day and headed over to Dover with my best friend and another explorer. We checked out this building and had multiple places we wanted to explore, so this was just a quick stop. It was easy to find

There not much history on this site and also not much remaining off the LAA battery but according to EDOB online data base this was part of the LAA battery .