Places to visit around Old Wives Lees, from Chilham Castle
All of it lies outside: 4 places within 5 km of its edge, none inside Old Wives Lees’ built-up area. Among them are 2 castles, a garden and a museum. At 8.3 km, Canterbury Cathedral is worth the journey.
Around Old Wives Lees: where to begin
Behind Chilham Castle on the list are a garden, a museum and a castle.
CastleChilham Castle1.1 km outside town, to the southwest
GardenMount Ephraim Gardens4.6 km outside town, to the northMuseumMuseumGodmersham Heritage Centre4 km outside town, to the southCastleCastleNorman Keep1.1 km outside town, to the southwestEach has a page of its own: what it is, who runs it, the weather month by month and what else is near it.
On the map
Close by, the 4 mostly lie to the southwest.
The dashed line is Old Wives Lees’ built-up area; orange marks its middle (where most people live). Numbers match the list below. © OpenStreetMap contributors · ONS built-up area 2022
Kind by kind
Between them they are 2 castles, a garden and a museum.
Green: inside Old Wives Lees. Grey: within 5 km of its edge.
Everything on the list
These 4 are all within 5 km of its edge.
Mount Ephraim Gardens
Historic house and gardens, near Faversham, in Hernhill, Swale, Kent, England, UK.
Close and well known first. Churches and listed buildings are on the History page, not here.
5 listed buildings are on Old Wives Lees’ History page → · Parks, footpaths and green space in Old Wives Lees →
Day trips from Old Wives Lees
Canterbury Cathedral, at 8.3 km, heads the 12.
CathedralCanterbury Cathedral8.3 km east
Abbey or priory · English HeritageSaint Augustine's Abbey8.6 km east
Castle · English HeritageDover Castle28 km southeast
CastleLeeds Castle24 km west
CastleCanterbury Castle7.6 km east
CathedralRochester Cathedral36 km northwest
Castle · English HeritageRochester Castle36 km northwest
Garden · National TrustSissinghurst Castle and Garden31 km southwest
Castle · English HeritageDeal Castle30 km east
FortCanterbury city walls8.1 km east
Abbey or prioryFaversham Abbey8.7 km northwest
Castle · English HeritageUpnor Castle35 km northwestPlaces well known beyond Old Wives Lees (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 Old Wives Lees: your questions
What is there to see near Old Wives Lees?
No attraction is mapped inside Old Wives Lees itself. Within 5 km of it are Chilham Castle, Mount Ephraim Gardens, Godmersham Heritage Centre and Norman Keep.
Does Old Wives Lees have a museum?
1 museum or gallery is in or within 5 km of Old Wives Lees: Godmersham Heritage Centre.
Is there a National Trust or English Heritage property near Old Wives Lees?
None within 5 km. The nearest well-known one on our list is Saint Augustine's Abbey (English Heritage), 8.6 km east.
What are the best-known days out near Old Wives Lees?
Within 40 km: Canterbury Cathedral (8.3 km), Saint Augustine's Abbey (8.6 km), Dover Castle (28 km), Leeds Castle (24 km).
Where are Old Wives Lees’ historic buildings listed?
Old Wives Lees has 5 listed buildings. 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 Old Wives Lees 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 (14)
- Chilham Castle: Daywalker, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Mount Ephraim Gardens: pam fray, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Canterbury Cathedral: Hans Musil, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Saint Augustine's Abbey: Rob Farrow, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Dover Castle: Chensiyuan, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Leeds Castle: Misterzee, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Canterbury Castle: Oast House Archive, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Rochester Cathedral: Raggatt2000, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Rochester Castle: Clem Rutter, Rochester, Kent, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Sissinghurst Castle and Garden: Hans Bernhard (Schnobby), CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Deal Castle: JimRussell, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Canterbury city walls: Ymblanter, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Faversham Abbey: William Stukeley, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Upnor Castle: Clem Rutter, Rochester, Kent, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026 (ONS boundaries). Northern Ireland: Source: NISRA; contains Land & Property Services data and Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland information, © Crown copyright, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Scotland: contains National Records of Scotland data, Registers of Scotland data and SEPA data, © Crown copyright / © SEPA 2025, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.