Buying or selling a house in
Offham
Offham is a village in west Kent, immediately west of West Malling, built predominantly of Kentish ragstone quarried in the parish. Its green carries a Grade II listed quintain, a medieval tilting post, and its Grade I church of about 1100 has its tower on the north side rather than the west. There is no station; West Malling serves it. Vine Estates handles a small number of sales here personally.
What it’s actually like
Offham is small, almost entirely ragstone, and set just far enough off the main road to feel tucked away. The green with its medieval quintain is the centre of everything, there's a village primary school and a good pub, and West Malling station with its two London terminals is close by. People who find it tend to stay. The village still tilts at a replica quintain on the green each May Day.
“Ragstone quarried from the ground it stands on, and a medieval quintain on the green. Offham is a one-off.”
David Johnston
The houses
Offham's houses are predominantly built of ragstone, Kent's most celebrated building stone, mined in the parish since Roman times. The church is ragstone rubble under plain tiles. There are 37 listed buildings in the parish — houses, farmhouses, chest tombs, walls, a telephone kiosk and the war memorial — with Quintain House and New Quintain on the green the highest graded at II\*. The best of it sits around the green, Church Road, Teston Road and Tower Hill.
Getting to London
Offham has no station. West Malling, the next place east, runs direct to both London Victoria and London Charing Cross on the Maidstone East line, with four trains an hour off-peak, two of them to a London terminus, and a journey of around an hour.
Schools
Offham Primary School on Church Road takes children from Reception to Year 6. There is no secondary school and no independent school in the village; the nearest secondary is The Malling School at East Malling.
Common questions
What is the quintain on Offham green?
A medieval tilting post, Grade II listed, described by Historic England as probably originally medieval and much restored. It is reputed to be the last English quintain still standing in its original position. It was taken down for safekeeping during the Second World War and put back afterwards.
What are Offham's houses built of?
Ragstone, predominantly. The stone has been quarried in the parish since Roman times and its hardness made it a favourite for fortifications across London and the south-east. The parish church is ragstone rubble under plain tiled roofs, and the same material runs through the village.
How many conservation areas does Offham have?
Three: Offham, designated in 1971; Offham Church, designated in 1993; and Aldon, the outlying hamlet, also 1993. The village core and the church were designated separately, twenty-two years apart, which is unusual and worth knowing if you are planning any alterations.
Not selling yet is fine
Some of the most useful conversations happen a year or more before anyone lists anything. If you'd like an honest read on timing or price, get in touch now rather than later.