Allington Castle heads the list around Aylesford
Aylesford’s list takes in 5 museums, 2 castles and 2 historic sites. No place to visit is mapped inside Aylesford’s built-up area; 11 are within 5 km of its edge. Beyond the town, the best known is Leeds Castle, 12 km off.
The first to see around Aylesford
Alongside Allington Castle you find 3 museums, a castle and an abbey or priory.
CastleAllington Castle2.2 km outside town, to the southeast
CastleLeybourne Castle3.8 km outside town, to the west
MuseumMedway megaliths1.4 km outside town, to the northeast
Abbey or prioryThe Friars - Aylesford Priory300 m outside town, to the westMuseumMuseumKent Life1.6 km outside town, to the east
MuseumMaidstone Museum3.8 km outside town, to the southeastEach has a page of its own: what it is, who runs it, the weather month by month and what else is near it.
Where to go
At the edge of the map sits Museum of Carriages, 4.6 km out.
The dashed line is Aylesford’s built-up area; orange marks its middle (where most people live). Numbers match the list below. © OpenStreetMap contributors · ONS built-up area 2022
Which kinds
Most are castles or historic places, 6 in all, ahead of museums or galleries (5).
Green: inside Aylesford. Grey: within 5 km of its edge.
All of it
These 11 are all within 5 km of its edge.
The Friars - Aylesford Priory
Carmelite monastery in Kent, England, UK.
Maidstone Museum
Regional museum, regimental museum, art gallery, heritage centre, historic house museum in Kent, England, United Kingdom.
7The Archbishop's Palace
Historic 14th-century and 16th-century building in Maidstone, Kent, England, UK.
Queens Own Royal West Kent Regiment Museum
Maidstone, Kent, United Kingdom.
Close and well known first. Churches and listed buildings are on the History page, not here.
49 listed buildings and 1 scheduled monument are on Aylesford’s History page → · Parks, footpaths and green space in Aylesford →
A drive away
Leading the 12 is Leeds Castle, 12 km away; they include 4 castles and 4 museums.
CastleLeeds Castle12 km southeast
CathedralRochester Cathedral9.8 km north
Castle · English HeritageRochester Castle9.9 km northMuseumMuseumRoyal Observatory Greenwich39 km northwest
Castle · National TrustBodiam Castle34 km south
Big drawMuseumNational Maritime Museum39 km northwest · 2.4M visitors a year
MuseumCutty Sark39 km northwest
Castle · English HeritageUpnor Castle12 km north
Historic houseHever Castle29 km southwest
Historic house · National TrustKnole House19 km west
MuseumQueen's House39 km northwest
Garden · National TrustSissinghurst Castle and Garden22 km southPlaces well known beyond Aylesford (Wikipedia articles in several languages, published visitor counts, or a National Trust, English Heritage or Cadw property), close and famous first. Distances are straight lines from the middle of the town.
Seeing Aylesford: your questions
What is there to see near Aylesford?
No attraction is mapped inside Aylesford itself. Within 5 km of it are Allington Castle, Leybourne Castle, Medway megaliths and The Friars - Aylesford Priory.
Does Aylesford have a museum?
5 museums and galleries are in or within 5 km of Aylesford: Medway megaliths, Kent Life, Maidstone Museum and Queens Own Royal West Kent Regiment Museum.
Is there a National Trust or English Heritage property near Aylesford?
None within 5 km. The nearest well-known one on our list is Rochester Castle (English Heritage), 9.9 km north.
What are the best-known days out near Aylesford?
Within 40 km: Leeds Castle (12 km), Rochester Cathedral (9.8 km), Rochester Castle (9.9 km), Royal Observatory Greenwich (39 km).
Where are Aylesford’s historic buildings listed?
Aylesford has 49 listed buildings, 1 of them Grade I. They are on its History page, from Historic England’s list, not repeated here.
How is this list made?
From OpenStreetMap (museums, galleries, zoos, theme parks and attractions, castles, forts and abbeys, and historic houses and gardens that are open to visitors) and Wikidata (what each place is, who runs it, its website and visitor counts). A place counts for Aylesford when it is inside the ONS 2022 built-up area, and as nearby within 5 km of its edge. Opening times and prices are not shown: check the official site.
Places: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, Open Database Licence) and Wikidata (CC0), placed in the ONS 2022 built-up area (Open Government Licence v3.0). Visitor counts are the latest Wikidata gives, with their year.
Photos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Photo credits (17)
- Allington Castle: Prioryman, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Leybourne Castle: Glen, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Medway megaliths: Midnightblueowl at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- The Friars - Aylesford Priory: August Schwerdfeger, CC BY 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Maidstone Museum: Linda Spashett Storye_book, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- The Archbishop's Palace: Stephen Nunney, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Leeds Castle: Misterzee, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Rochester Cathedral: Raggatt2000, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Rochester Castle: Clem Rutter, Rochester, Kent, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Bodiam Castle: Antony McCallum, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- National Maritime Museum: Katie Chan, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Cutty Sark: Krzysztof Belczyński from Warsaw, POLAND, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Upnor Castle: Clem Rutter, Rochester, Kent, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Hever Castle: Nigel Lamb, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Knole House: Diliff, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Queen's House: Vladimír Procházka, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Sissinghurst Castle and Garden: Hans Bernhard (Schnobby), CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
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