St. Mary`s Church (Chilham)
St. Mary`s is the parish church of the pretty Kent village of Chilham. It dates back to the 15th century.
Chilham Castle is at one end of the village street, with the church at the other.
There are fragments of 15th century glass in some of the windows.
St. Mary`s is particularly interesting for its memorials.
The Wildman family memorial shows a woman holding her head, with a young girl burying her in head in the woman`s lap. The Wildmans were owners of the castle.
In the Hardy family memorial, two boys are reading "Babes in the Wood", and beside them are a battledore and shuttlecock. In no other church in England are children`s toys shown on a memorial. The Hardys succeeded the Wildmans as castle owners.
The memorial to Frederick Lacy Dick records his assassination in Ceylon while trying to apprehend a criminal.