Allington is an almost
entirely modern village situated alongside the sides of the
A20 road west of Maidstone in Kent. It is part of the
built-up area of Maidstone. It has 2 primary schools;
Allington Primary and Palace Wood. In the centre of
Allington is the Mid Kent Shopping Centre.
The name Allington, which is shared by a hamlet near Lenham,
is derived from the Old English tun farmstead; it comes via
eleventh-century Elentun and was connected with a man called
Ælla.
Allington Castle was originally built in the 11th century.
In 1281 the present stone castle was built, which was
converted to a mansion in the 15th century. In 1492 the
castle came into the possession of the Wyatt family By the
mid-19th century it was derelict, but was restored in 1905;
in 1951 it was taken over by the Carmelite order. Today it
is owned by Sir Robert Worcester as a private residence and
is not open to the public.
The few dwellings around the castle had a population of 49
in 1841. There was a church dedicated to St Laurence which
closed in 1969. In the modern village is a modern parish
church dedicated to St Nicholas, the second to be built on
the site. Furnishings from St Laurence's are used here.
Down the hill from St Laurence's Church is the River Medway,
Allington Lock and Allington Sluice. There is a footpath
over the lock. Below the lock, the Medway becomes tidal. On
the other bank is the Malta Inn, and Kent Life. A footpath
runs from here to Teston. A Park and Sail service (claimed
to be the only one in England) operates on the weekends
leading up to Christmas. Using the car park and boarding by
the Malta Inn, the MV Kentish Lady carries shoppers to
Maidstone and back.
Things to do near Allington, Kent
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