The Friars

Home to a community of Carmelite Friars, three miles north west of Maidstone on the river Medway, Aylesford Priory is a popular centre of retreat and pilgrimage, welcoming pilgrims from all Christian traditions, while its guesthouse offers accommodation for individual, families and groups. The Priory also has extensive conference facilities. The Friars, to use its traditional name, was founded in 1242 when the first Carmelites arrived from the Holy Land. After the Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1538, it became a private dwelling but in 1949 the Carmelites regained possession of their old home. Today The Friars is a blend of medieval and modern and its chapels contain some outstanding modern works of religious art.