Oare: A Village Guide Near Faversham, Kent

Tucked away just a mile west of Faversham, Oare sits at the head of its own creek, separated from the town by the water and edged by open marshland to the north. It's a quiet, sought-after spot where period cottages and character homes look out towards countryside and the coast. Boatbuilding and fishing have been a way of life here for centuries, and that maritime feel still shapes the village today.

The name itself is ancient, coming from the Old English word for a shore or hill-slope, and Oare appears in the Domesday Book of 1086 as Ora and Orae. The manor once belonged to Odo of Bayeux, half-brother of William the Conqueror; after Odo's fall it passed to Arnulf Kade and then to the Knights Hospitallers. Centuries later, around 1690, Huguenot refugees founded the Oare gunpowder works, bringing advanced French production techniques to the Faversham area and adding another layer to the village's long industrial story.

At the heart of Oare stands St Peter's Church, a Grade I listed building that is mainly 13th century in origin. The Victorian architect Joseph Clarke added its spire and carried out a general restoration in 1867, and inside you'll find a striking square font of Purbeck marble dating from the late Norman or Early English period. The church has faced structural challenges in recent years and appears on Historic England's Heritage at Risk Register, with work needed on its spire shingles.

The village has two pubs: the Grade II-listed Three Mariners Inn, run by Shepherd Neame and nestled beside the winding creek, and The Castle. Just across the boundary in Faversham, Oare Windmill dates from around 1819; originally a corn mill, it was later worked by the Gun Powder Company, requisitioned during the First World War, and converted into a private home in 1963. Following the creek towards the coast, walkers pass mudflats and small shipwrecks on the way to the Oare Marshes nature reserve, over 200 acres of dykes, scrapes, sea-wall and saltmarsh that form part of the internationally important Swale Site of Special Scientific Interest. A circular footpath links the bird hides, with parking near the visitor centre by the Three Mariners.

Alongside its history and wildlife, Oare is served by a handful of local businesses that keep everyday life ticking along. Hollowshore Fisheries offers a taste of the area's enduring connection to the water, while trades such as Elevation Scaffold Services and MJN Building Services help maintain and improve the village's homes. For motorists, Falcon Faversham Mobile Tyre Fitting Service brings the garage to the driveway, and Pertemps provides professional support to those working locally.

Whether you're arriving on foot along the creekside path, catching the Arriva 333 bus from Faversham, Sittingbourne or Maidstone, or simply exploring a quiet corner of Kent, Oare rewards a slower pace. It's a village where marshland birds, a working creek and centuries of history sit comfortably beside the practical services that keep a small community going.