Hand-held virtual tour panorama showing the center of Faversham in Kent. This picture was taken at the beginning of a walk along the coast from here to Whitstable.

Faversham - Faversham visitor guide showing a virtual tour of 'Faversham' linked to an interactive map with local and travel information. 360° panoramas from Kent.

Faversham is an old market town in Kent. The town lies roughly equidistant between Sittingbourne and Canterbury on the edges of Faversham Creek. A settlement existed here before Roman times, and in the Domesday Book the settlement is mentioned as Favreshant. Faversham became an important port and market town, even becoming the capital of England for a short time. In 1148 Faversham Abbey was built here, but this was dissolved by Henry VIII in 1536 and destroyed. Faversham is also home to Shepherd Neame, the oldest brewery in Britain. It was also important in the production of gunpowder and other munitions and suffered greatly from an explosion at a munitions factory during WWI which killed 105 people.

Faversham - Tourist Attrctions

Today Faversham is a relaxed town popular with tourists who come to see the some of the historic buildings around the old town center, ships being repaired on the creek and the surrounding countryside. Some of the top tourist attractions in and around Faversham include:

• Fleur-de-Lis Heritage Centre - Faversham's tourist information centre which also contains a local museum.
• Faversham Market - held around the old Guildhall on Court Street and Market Street, full of stalls selling local wares and goods.
• Oare Works - formerly the Oare Gunpowder Works and now a country park and nature reserve open year round with free entrance and restored gunpowder mill.
• St Mary of Charity, Faversham Parish Church - built in 1147 as part of Faversham Abbey with a unique, 18th century, Gothic flying crown or corona spire. Inside the church is the tomb of King Stephen, important misericords in the Quire and a rare Medieval painted pillar.
• Maison Dieu - important medieval hospital and hostel for Kings built early in the 13th century rebuilt in the 16th century and now open as a museum managed by English Heritage with free entrance to members.
• Galleries, shops and restaurants - Faversham has a number of good art galleries, shops and restaurants scattered around the historic town centre and also down by the quay.
• Saxon Shore Way - Faversham lies on the Saxon Shore Way, a walking route that leads west to Sittingbourne and east to Whitstable.
• Sandhurst Farm Forge - working forge and gallery with a 3-star Bed & Breakfast a short distance west of Faversham.
• Farming World - tourist attraction full of rare breeds of farm animals, displays and activities, popular with children.
• Mount Ephraim Gardens - just east of Faversham is this 800 acre estate with a manor house and fantastic gardens.
• 'Greta' Sailing Barge - offering sailing experiences on a sailing barge built in 1892.
• Doddington Place Gardens - landscaped gardens and woodland gardens with various walks about 7 miles southwest of Faversham.
• Brogdale Collections - home of the National Fruit Collections, a farm growing over 2,000 apple varieties, 500 pear varieties, 350 plum varieties, 320 cherry varieties and many bush fruits, nuts and vines.

Faversham Tourist Information Centre
Fleur de Lis Heritage Centre
13 Preston Street
Faversham ME13 8NS
01795 534 542

Train: Faversham Station.
Road: Faversham lies on the A2, near the end of the M2, 10 miles west of Canterbury and 7 miles east of Sittingbourne. It is 55 miles from the center of London.