Fascinating Faversham and Provender House

Enjoy an owner-guided tour of Provender House and a guided walk around the exquisite and interesting small town of Faversham.

Grade II* Provender House dates back to the 13th century and was named after its first owner, Sir John de Provender. Sir John had become rich in the service of King Henry III, from whom he received a pension of one penny a day. In the 14th century, the de Viennes bought the house and added a private wing which included a magnificent vaulted solar with beautiful carved crown posts. This is now the Crown Post Room and with the dining room has formed the core of the house since the 13th century. The house is a fascinating record of English life over seven centuries and throughout this time, Provender’s architecture reflected England’s history on a human scale with adventurers, explorers, heiresses and princesses having lived here, each refashioning the house or adding wings to make it their own. The house is now the home of Princess Olga Romanoff, the daughter of Prince Andrew Romanoff, the eldest nephew of Tsar Nicholas II of Russia. 

Church of St. Mary of Charity © John Salmon / St Mary of Charity, Faversham, Kent

Later, enjoy a fascinating guided tour of the historic market town of Faversham including the Church of St. Mary of Charity, which is all that remains of a previously much larger religious community around Faversham Abbey, established in 1147 by King Stephen and dissolved by Henry VIII. Although the church itself was founded in the medieval era, the flying spire, known as a crown or corona spire, by which it is recognised dates to the 18th century - a period of prosperity for the town. Notable features of the church include the reputed tomb of King Stephen (the church is one of only a few churches outside London where an English king was interred), nationally important misericords in the Quire, a rare medieval painted pillar and a recently installed altar dedicated to Saints Crispin and Crispinian. Our tour will amble past some of the 300 listed buildings and include the iconic Guildhall, the Victorian Assembly Rooms and the Cottage hospital and will finish at the attractive quayside.

Tickets £75 including tea and cakes upon arrival at Provender House and a two-course pub lunch at the Plough Inn, Lewson Street. Lunch options to be made available to attendees in February 2026

Header image: The Guildhall, Faversham by Robin Webster,
CC BY-SA 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0>;, via Wikimedia Commons