Godmersham Park and the Church of St Lawrence the Martyr

 Jane and Deborah on their final day's walk to Canterbury Last week  Jane and Deborah walked the Pilgrims' Way between the Cathedral cities of Rochester and Canterbury.  Jane organised the walk as a gift for her friend Deborah from South Africa.  Along the trail they explored many of the village churches to be found  in the small villages that nestle under the North Down's escarpment .  I took this picture of Jane and Deborah at the end of a warm June morning as we walked through the grounds of Godmersham House, which was once home to
Edward Austen, the brother of Jane Austen. The Parish Church of St Lawrence the Martyr, Godmersham Kent

 Close to the grand paladian mansion can be found the church of St Lawrence the Martyr, parts of which date back to the late Saxon period between 900-1000 AD.  On the north wall of the nave can be found a large memorial to Edward and Elizabeth Knight (Edward Austen changed his name to Knight, the family name of his adopted family).   On the south wall of the chancel can be seen a bas-relief of what many believe to be a representaion of Beckett.  If this is so then this is extremely rare as so many representations of the saint were destroyed during the reformation. Following the interest shown by Jane and Deborah, Walk Awhile has now collected information about the small village churches situated along the Pilgrims Way.  During the winter period Walk Awhile will compile a brief giving details of the churches and their history to help walkers  enjoy many of the same historic churches visited by Jane and Deborah. More information about Walk Awhile walking holidays along the Pilgrims Way / North Downs Way National Trail; Elham Valley Trail and the White Cliffs County Trail can be found at http://www.walkawhile.co.uk  Walk Awhile is also a member of the Green Tourisim Business Scheme (GTBS) and is also a affilliated to Responsible Travel and is a member of Tourism Southeast.