Selling, near Faversham: Village Guide & Local Businesses

Selling is a hilly village and civil parish that sits about four miles south-east of Faversham, roughly halfway towards Canterbury, right on the edge of the Kent Downs. Its scenery shifts from chalk to downland to sand-crowned hills, sloping down into the Kent Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty to the south and east. The parish gathers together a scatter of hamlets — Hogben's Hill, Gushmere, Neames Forstal, Shepherds Hill and Perrywood — and the landscape is dotted with oast houses, such as Harefield Oast, a reminder of the hops once kiln-dried here for brewing.

The village is an old one, recorded in the Domesday Survey as Selinge, or Sellinge subtus Bleane. The name probably comes from the Old English setl, meaning a seat or dwelling, joined with the -ing suffix. The manor's tax was granted to the Monastery of St Augustine in 1130, and after the Dissolution of the Monasteries it passed to Sir Anthony St Leger, then to Sir Michael Sondes of Throwley, whose descendant Sir George Sondes became Earl of Faversham — a name still echoed in the village today.

At the heart of Selling's story stands the parish church of St Mary the Virgin, a Grade I listed building begun by the Normans around 1190 and added to in the 13th and 15th centuries. Its east window holds glass from about 1300, depicting St John, St Mary Magdalene, the Virgin Mary and St Margaret of Antioch, alongside heraldic shields bearing the arms of Edward I, Queen Eleanor of Castile and Queen Margaret of France. Set slightly raised a short walk from the village, the church has a war memorial outside.

Just as prized is Perry Wood, an ancient woodland shared between Selling and Chilham parishes, designated a Local Wildlife Site and owned by Swale Borough Council for wildlife conservation and quiet recreation. Its viewpoint, The Mount, once formed part of a semaphore chain relaying messages from London to the Kent ports, and today rewards walkers with wide views. The Rose and Crown pub sits within the woodland as a welcome refreshment stop, while the White Horse and the nearby cricket ground add to the village's traditional feel. A former pub has been reinvented as Sondes of Selling, a community hub with a village shop, tea and coffee house and light lunches.

Everyday life here is well served, too: Selling railway station on the Chatham Main Line offers direct connections to London Victoria and Dover Priory, and Selling Church of England Primary School, established in 1872, cares for local children aged four to eleven. The village and its surrounding area also support a range of independent businesses. Food and drink feature strongly, from Boutilliers Brewery and Tap Room to Macknade Food Hall, Fruit 2 U Ltd and the Sea Scrub Sauna at Macknade.

Health and wellbeing is another local thread, with Daniel Frings Counselling, Serene Massage Therapies, SpinLab Ltd and Top to Toe Fitness among those offering their services. For practical matters, Swale Barn Vets and The Bunnery Faversham look after the area's animals. Together, these businesses help this downland village stay both connected to Faversham and firmly rooted in its own quiet corner of Kent.