Churchyard of St Martin of Tours, Eynsford, Kent
Visited October 2020
The village of Eynsford in the Darent Valley has a lot of history, with a ruined Norman castle, a scenic village centre (still with ford across the river!) and nearby Lullingstone Roman Villa and Lullingstone Castle. In the village centre is the church of St Martin of Tours, which dates back to the Norman period with, of course, many additions and alterations over the centuries, and was likely built at around the same time as the nearby Eynsford Castle.
The historic churchyard is still in use today and contains gravestones from the 18th to the 21st centuries. Some of the early ones still bear well preserved inscriptions and carvings, such as that of Margaret Hayward with its skull, sickle, hourglass, orouboros and much more! Among the recent burials, the one depicted in the first image caught my eye, the deceased was clearly a gardener and this stone captures it so well.
As noted, there is a ton of stuff to do at Eynsford (and there is good walking too) and all less than an hour by train from London so if you are in the area to visit any of the sites or do some walking, do make sure to visit this church and churchyard as part of your trip.
