Chilham is a village behind the North Downs in Kent, which is on the route of the Pilgrims Way to Canterbury. It has a long history of travel to and through its many routes and footpaths.

The local primary school decided to explore travel within its local historical context while reflecting on the role of education to equip pupils for their own journeys through life.

The school crest is a heron a bird with significant presence in the area and according to local legend should it fail to return to its nesting site by St Valentines day after its winter travels great misfortune will befall the place.

A particularly picturesque example of a traditional village its economy relies quite heavily on the tourist trade, until fairly recently the village was a focal point of coach parties and visitors stopping to look at the old castle. The attractive buildings and quiet lanes are a favourite with many foreign visitors and photos of Chilham no doubt travel widely.


The Church in the main square bears many of the marks of time from its quiet graveyard and war memorial to the less obvious signs like the entrance step where many feet have worn down the surface until there is a visible gap below the door.

Inside stands the original school table, the footrest has been worn down by the feet of countless teachers. It bears years of graffiti, drawings of the church tower showing the clock in its original position before it had to be moved to a higher spot as the yew tree in the grounds grew taller and blocked it from view. This mighty tree fell in the hurricane of 1987 but the beautifully gnarled stump remains and it has taken on a new life in the pieces of furniture made from it.


Many of the children in the old school photos are still at the same school now, as teachers, school governors etc. The school prides itself on preparing its children for the next stage in their education, the move to the Big School. They celebrate this rite of passage with a leavers service each year in the parish church. The older children who are moving on speak of what their old school meant to them and their hopes for the future. The younger children following them up the school wish them well on their journey.

With all these thoughts of history and rites of passage, the project focused on a procession along the Pilgrim's Way in a wide array of costumes. The infants were dressed as Roman soldiers, perhaps representing the idea of the long straight road. The middle group as medieval pilgrims reflecting the history of the Pilgrims Way and the Canterbury Tales so closely linked with the area. The older group chose to dress as Millennium Bugs representing their looking forward into the unknown.