St Mary's church - Teynham

 St Mary's church 

Date January | Location Teynham, Kent | Open to the public

We had tried to visit this church a few times, but it was always closed. I later found out that it is open on Saturdays, so we added it to our list of places to explore for the day. This church is a bit out of the way, but it is quite interesting inside. The layout and appearance are similar to most churches from this time period, yet each church has its own unique characteristics that set it apart from the others.

Like many churches, St Mary's is a Grade I listed building. It originated as a Saxon church before being rebuilt between the 13th and 15th centuries. It also served as a medieval archbishopric for Canterbury.

St Peter and St Paul's Church, Edenbridge

 
St Peter and St Paul's Church

Date Feb | Location Edenbridge | Open to the public 

We headed to Edenbridge to visit the Eden Valley Museum as part of the Wheels of Time trail. After we finished exploring that location, I noticed a church nearby, so I decided to check it out. Like most churches, they are similar inside, but each one has its own unique qualities. We spent about 15 minutes in the church before heading home. The church itself was really interesting.

The church dates back to the 12th century and is a Grade I listed building.

St Peters & St Paul's newham - Kent

 St. Peter's & St Paul's 

Date  Januray | Location Newham | Open to the public 

This was the second church on our list. We parked our car and headed over to the church, which is located in a small village (I have to say that the signal is poor there as well). This visit was quick; we were in and out in about 20 minutes. It was nice and interesting, though. The church dates back to the 13th century, like most of the churches, and hasn’t really changed much since then.

St peter's Church Oare Kent

 St peter's Church

Date January | Location Oare, Kent | open to the public 

I had this church on my maps for a while, and since it was part of a cluster of churches we were visiting, I was excited to see it. I must say, like many churches, it had a familiar feel. This one was small but featured some interesting stained glass windows and even a map of the church displayed inside. As we were leaving, we discovered that I could turn on the lights.

This church is Grade I listed and dates back to the 13th century. It features a 15th-century door and has undergone significant restoration. Originally built in a marshy area, the church underwent a major restoration in 1868

St John the Baptist Church Doddington,

 St John the Baptist Church

Date January | Location  Doddington | Open to the public 

My 5-year-old and I were looking at a map to find places we could explore, and we noticed there were five churches clustered together that we could visit. So, we got in the car and planned a route using the map. This was the first church we explored that day. It was small and beautiful inside, and it had some original paintings on the walls, which were nice to see.

The church is located in a very rural area of Kent. It is Grade 1 listed and is a rare 12th-century church, featuring a 17th-century tower and a 13th-century south chapel.

Arethusa Venture Centre Second Visit - Upnor - Kent

 

Arethusa Venture Centre

Date Januray | Location Upnor | Satuts Abandoned 

This was my second visit to Arethusa, having been there in 2025, where I only explored the poolside. This time, the exploration was straightforward, and I found that some of the buildings were open, which I hadn't seen before. However, the rock climbing wall was sealed up again, so I couldn't get inside. I also wanted to revisit the pool, but that was sealed off as well. Nevertheless, it was still cool to see the areas I was able to access.

To keep the history brief, the place closed down in 2019 and was raided in August 2025 for a cannabis farm. They want to demolish the site and build a bunch of new flats. The site was built in 1935 and was used by schools to offer a number of different activities.