The church
The origins of Milton Chantry go back to 1189 when a leper hospital was founded on the site.
The current building was built in 1322 by Aymer de Valence, the Earl of Pembroke, as a chantry chapel to serve a nearby leper hospital at the time. It was originally meant as a building in which to pray for the souls of the dead.
Priests were appointed by the Bishop of Rochester until 1524 when, during the Reformation, it became the property of the Crown.
After this, it was sold into private hands and used as a family residence...then a farm...and finally, by 1697, as an inn under the name 'New Tavern'. A small hamlet grew up around the tavern which, by 1776, was recorded to have a large dining room, bowling green and garden.
Between 1780 and 1918, the area around the tavern was taken over as part of a military fort complex. Named 'New Tavern Fort' after the tavern itself, the fort served as a defensive structure against a possible naval attack by the French. The tavern became part of the fort's barracks and its walls were faced with bricks - as can still be seen from a side view today. By the early 1800s, it was recorded to have become a 'vermin-infested room with leaking roof occupied by 20 soldiers (married and single men), wives and children'.
In later years, the fort and barracks were rennovated by General Gordon, who lived at the fort and who is widely remembered for his charity in the Gravesend area, which included teaching at a local ragged school. There is a memorial to General Gordon in Gravesend's Fort Gardens (which are nearby and well worth a visit).
In 1932, the fort area was converted into a park for the people of Gravesend.
During WWII the fort was taken over for military purposes once again. The basement of Milton Chantry was used as a gas decontamination chamber.
In more recent years, the building has been converted into a local museum named the Chantry Heritage Centre (open summer weekends and bank holidays) . Inside, you can see Roman artifacts recovered from excavations at nearby Springhead (the site of the Roman town Vagniacae). The building itself still retains its 14th century roof.
Photo sourced from the Visit Kent website
The cache
The cache is a black magnetic nano, just past the chantry building itself. Accessible by foot from the road
Watch for muggles!
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