KAS Historic Buildings Committee

The visit to Shoreham and Eynsford Castle took place on 7 April 2007. Despite being the Saturday of Easter weekend 38 people booked, requiring two guides for the tour of Shoreham. One group was taken around this delightful village by committee member and lifelong resident Joy Saynor. The wealth of information that Joy was able to share, as a result of her expert on the buildings of Shoreham, and former lecturer on the History of Kent, was much appreciated. The other group was guided by Sally Hofmann, author of a number of publications on wartime Shoreham. In addition to pointing out the buildings of interest, she was able to provide an insight into the affects on the village of the many bombs dropped on it during World War II.

There was a great deal to see in this picturesque village, with 32 listed buildings in the High Street and Church Street conservation area alone. The tour ended at the village hall, where a splendid lunch was laid on. Everyone also enjoyed the fascinating exhibition of old photographs of the locality that had been displayed in the hall.

After lunch most of the party went on to Eynsford Castle, which dates back to the 11th century and is one of the earliest stone castles in the country. Christopher Proudfoot, chairman of the Committee, gave an introductory overview of the history of the castle. His explanation of the evolution of its layout was very helpful when everyone wandered around the castle grounds. One person raised concerns about the standard of maintenance of the site, and this will be followed up. However, all in all it was a grand day out! Buoyed by the success of the outing, the Committee intends to organise further visits to places of particular interest.

Arrangements have now been finalised for the Committee’s Historic Buildings Conference to be held on 20th October 2007. (See What’s On for more information)

Another activity that the Committee is considering is the promotion of easier access to, and understanding of, documentary resources on historic buildings. As a first step, the Committee will be looking into the feasibility of making some of these documents more readily available electronically, and of arranging training in the interpretation and use of such documentary evidence.