Church/Bishop's Palace/Ferry
'i-h St John the Baptist Church The church of St. John the Baptist has stood here for at least 1200 years. The Normans built the stone church in the early 11th century but it was greatly extended in the ‘Victorian Restoration’ of 1887 and much of the original stonework was lost. A unique set of rare medieval wall paintings were discovered during that work and these have recently been restored.
'i-i' Halling Bishop's Palace A section of ragstone wall bearing three lancet windows is all that remains of the once-sprawling early medieval manor house known as the Bishops Palace. Built at the end of the 11th century, it was one of the six country residences of the Bishops of Rochester. It ceased being used by the bishopric in the mid-16th century and was leased out as a private dwelling. The noted antiquarian William Lambarde lived there in the late 16th century. By the early 18th century the manor had been abandoned and was derelict. It briefly served as a workhouse in the late 18th century before its remnants were largely demolished by the Hilton & Anderson cement company upon the building of their factory in the 1870s. What remains has been awarded Scheduled Monument status. For more information, go to:
'i-j' The Ferry By the river can be seen steps leading down to the water. At low tide, steps can also be seen leading up the bank on the other side. This is all that remains of the Halling Ferry, once the only means of crossing the river between the ancient bridges of Rochester and Aylesford. A ferryman would row passengers over the 90 yard crossing for a small fee, a service that had probably operated since the advent of the Bishops Palace. The ferry finally ceased operation in 1964. The ferrymen once lived in a cottage by the steps, but the cottage and the old chandlery were demolished when Halling riverside was redeveloped in the early 2000s.