Rye
Rye’s welcoming, community hub of a church is a hotchpotch of medieval and later styles. Its turret clock is the oldest in England (1561) still working…
Must-see attractions in Southeast England
Kent
The oldest church in Sandwich is now no longer used for worship. It’s a real mixture of styles and years: its tower collapsed in dramatic fashion in 1661…
Dover
A crumbling 1960s bunker is the unlikely setting for some of the most extensive, if stunted, Roman wall paintings north of the Alps. Several scenes depict…
Kent
A mile further along the clifftop trail from the South Foreland Lighthouse, you will reach the delightful village of St Margaret’s Bay, a gap in the chalk…
East Sussex
This large, purpose-built exhibition venue at the end of the Stade is used for temporary shows of contemporary British art as well as themed installations…
East Sussex
A short walk west of the train station, this marvellous little museum is housed in a red-brick mansion. Highlights inside include the intricately Moorish…
Dover
By far the most enthralling exhibit in the town's three-storey museum is an astonishing 3600-year-old Bronze Age boat, discovered here in 1992. Vaunted as…
Rye
Most start their exploration of Rye on famous Mermaid St, a short walk from the Rye Heritage Centre. It bristles with 15th-century timber-framed houses…
Kent
This quaint museum is Broadstairs’ top indoor attraction and the former home of Mary Pearson Strong – Dickens’ inspiration for the character of Betsey…
Kent
Situated 1.2 miles from Wealden, this famous Kent winery runs tours for the public, which naturally include a tasting session. Booking ahead is advised as…
Kent
Located 2.5 miles south of Tenterden on the B2082, this award-winning vineyard produces some of Kent’s best wine and bubbly. Tours should be booked well…
East Sussex
This fortress was built by William the Conquerer, and an exhibition in the grounds tells the story of the castle and the Battle of Hastings in 1066.
Southeast England
Named after Henry VIII's royal palace that was built here in the 16th century ('no such' palace could compare with it, hence the name) and later pulled…
Brighton & Hove
Europe' biggest, Brighton’s wave-shaped marina washes ashore 1.5 miles east of the pier. In addition to brand-name shopping, numerous chain eateries and…
Kent
Roman Britain began here amid the windswept ruins of Richborough’s Roman Fort, just 2 miles north of Sandwich. This is where the successful AD 43 invasion…
Kent
Several attractions line the River Stour. The cute little flint-chequered Barbican tollgate was built by Henry VIII and controls traffic flow over the…
Southeast England
Farnham Castle was constructed in 1138 by Henry de Blois, the grandson of William the Conqueror. There’s not much left of the keep today except the…
East Sussex
Hastings last hit the national news in 2010 when its Victorian pier burnt down. The ballroom at the end, where the likes of The Clash, Sex Pistols,…
Brighton & Hove
The historic West Pier, which closed in 1975, began to collapse into the sea in December 2002 and, having since caught fire twice, is just a dark shadow…
Canterbury
An integral but often overlooked part of the Canterbury World Heritage Site, St Augustine’s Abbey was founded in AD 597, marking the rebirth of…
Canterbury
The city’s only remaining medieval gateway (1380) houses a museum that focuses on the building’s use as a prison. The views from the top are pretty good,…
Canterbury
A ‘place of hospitality’ for pilgrims, soldiers and the elderly since 1180, Eastbridge Hospital of St Thomas the Martyr is the last of many such buildings…
East Sussex
When Henry VIII divorced Anne of Cleves in 1541, he gave her this timber-framed house as part of her divorce settlement, although she never moved in. The…
Southeast England
Located opposite the Arundel Castle gates, this small museum has sections on the castle, the South Downs National Park and the River Arun’s role in 19th…
Kent
This modest community museum has glass cases examining Whitstable’s oyster industry, the Crab & Winkle Railway which once ran from Canterbury, and the…
Canterbury
This ambitious, overpriced three-dimensional interpretation of Chaucer’s classic tales using jerky animatronics and audioguides is certainly entertaining,…
Kent
From the Langdon Cliffs tourist office, follow the stony path east along the clifftops for a bracing 2-mile walk to the stout Victorian South Foreland…
Kent
This former church is now a multipurpose venue hosting some surprisingly big acts. It’s open during the day for perusal and is worth a look for its…
Canterbury
You’ll find Greyfriars Chapel in serene riverside gardens behind Eastbridge Hospital. The first monastery built in England by Franciscan monks in 1267,…
East Sussex
Shoals of barnacled exhibits swim around the huge Enterprise fishing boat at this Stade museum, housed in a former fishermens’ church. Next door you can…
East Sussex
On West Hill, a short walk east of the Hastings Castle, is the Smugglers Adventure, where you can explore underground caverns and hear smuggling yarns…
Kent
Interesting but erratically opening museum displaying loot from the more than 600 ships that have been wrecked on the notorious Goodwin Sands off this…
East Sussex
An old-school repository of junk salvaged from various vessels that have sunk in the Channel, plus sections on fossils and diving.
Dover
This Roman-era lighthouse is Britain's oldest standing building and dates from around AD 50.
