Church Of St James

The Church of St James is a Grade I listed building originally serving as a Chapel of Ease to Charing. It is constructed from Kentish ragstone and features a chancel with a north chapel, which is now used as a vestry, a nave with a north aisle, a south porch, and a west tower that has three stages. The tower includes an octagonal vice turret at the north-east corner, which is designed to support a beacon, along with buttresses at the other corners. The church is adorned with gargoyles. The chancel, north chapel, and north aisle date back to the 14th century, while the nave, south porch, and west tower were built in the 15th century. The nave has three bays and includes two crown posts, a piscina, and triple sedilia. The churchyard features several table tombs, oval bodystones, and 18th-century headstones decorated with skull, cherub, and hourglass motifs. The church is situated in a prominent location, serving as a landmark for miles around, similar to the church of Great Chart, which marks the northern edge of the Weald.