Worth offers two distinct approaches to planning a trip: a rich village and architectural history, and a circular walking route in Worth Marshes. The Church of St Peter and St Paul, the Village Pond and the Village Green anchor the historical themes in the village; from Worth, Jubilee Road leads to the marshes. When choosing a destination based on cultural history and landscape, you can weigh up whether village history or outdoor trails is the stronger draw.

Church history across several periods

The Church of St Peter and St Paul was built between 1160 and 1195 AD and extensively restored in 1888. On its south side, the pier arcade dates from the 12th century. The construction date, restoration and surviving arcade provide different points of reference in the church’s history.

In the 14th century, a chapel was added, originally called the Requiem Chapel or All Souls Chapel. The octagonal font dates from the 16th century and was transferred to Worth in 1870 from the church in Eastry. Its history combines an early date of origin with a precisely dated move to another location.

Archaeological traces south of Worth

South of Worth, an Iron Age settlement site and a Romano-Celtic temple are well preserved, retaining archaeological and environmental evidence. The settlement site is considered an Iron Age shrine. The temple’s cella measures about 8.5 metres square. This brings together a cautious archaeological interpretation and a specific measurement.

An Iron Age and Roman ritual site at the top of Jubilee Road is designated a Scheduled Monument. The archaeological remains are buried, so this part of the village’s history centres on the designation and preservation of the sites.

Village Pond, Village Green and historic landscape

The Village Pond marks the beginning of the original creek and lies at the place around which the settlement developed. The Worth Conservation Area is centred around the primary school and the Village Pond. It includes buildings in a range of styles, including an Anglo-Dutch farmhouse built in 1675 and an almshouse dating from before 1750.

The Village Green is the surviving remnant of a once much larger village green. Worth also preserves large parts of the historic landscape depicted in Ordnance Survey field drawings from around 1800. These features provide different scales of reference: the pond and green point to the development of the settlement, while the field drawings place the wider historic landscape in context.

Almost a third of the Worth Neighbourhood Area, a total of 142 hectares, is designated for wildlife protection as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and Natura 2000 site. The figure describes the extent of the designated land within this area and adds a wider landscape scale to the village’s smaller features.

Circular walk in Worth Marshes

Worth Marshes can be reached from Worth via Jubilee Road. The paths there can be used for a circular walk; parking is extremely limited. This creates a clear distinction when planning a trip: the village’s history is concentrated in its buildings and landscape features, while Worth Marshes offers a walking option with a clearly stated parking restriction.

Discover more destinations: Swanley, Hoath, Folkestone, Boughton Monchelsea, Shoreham, Tilmanstone, Teynham, Linton

For an overview of the wider area: Kent.