Two themes can help you plan a stay in Sturry: a history of buildings from different periods, and routes with stops by a river, lake, nature reserve and woodland. This can help you decide whether to focus your choice of destination primarily on historic architecture or on walks through varied landscapes.
Church architecture and dated features
St Nicholas's Church is a Grade I listed building. The chancel and nave walls are of Norman origin. The tower can also be dated more precisely: it has three stages, its lower stages date from the 12th century, and its battlements from the 15th century. The church thus brings together Norman origins and later tower features that can be dated—a tangible distinction if you are interested in the history of the village’s architecture.
Timber framing, brick and local history
The School Hall is a long timber-framed building dating from the early 16th century. Originally, it was one of the buildings of the manor farm belonging to St Augustine's Abbey in Canterbury. Georgian House offers a different architectural point of reference: the two-storey building dates from the late 18th century and has yellow brick walls. The details about timber framing and brick, as well as the different centuries, give you concrete features to help distinguish these buildings from the older church architecture.
Local history also includes an early land grant: the earliest document concerning Sturry records one in 605. The surviving document is an 11th-century copy. This early documentary reference thus adds a different historical perspective on Sturry alongside the later-dated features and buildings.
Routes with different landscape highlights
Route 2 of Train Rides to Ramble, Sturry follows the Stour Valley Walk through Stodmarsh and the Stodmarsh National Nature Reserve to Grove Ferry. On the return journey, it passes through the nature reserve and follows green paths along a ridge above the River Stour. The route description links named sections through the nature reserve with a return journey above the river.
Other routes highlight different landscapes: Route 1 circles Westbere Lake and follows the River Stour. Route 4 passes through Broad Oak, crosses the Sarre Penn and continues into Honey and Thornden Woods. You can therefore distinguish the routes by their described stops—lake and river on Route 1, Stodmarsh and Grove Ferry on Route 2, and Broad Oak, the Sarre Penn and woodland on Route 4.
Check the path conditions before setting out; for Route 2, also check access to the nature reserve. This way, you can factor the stated route conditions into your planning without assuming that the paths are alike simply because of their place names.
Discover more destinations: Dartford, Tudeley, Charing, Deal, Stone in Oxney, Elham, Eynsford, Doddington.
For the broader travel overview: Kent.
