Feeling fab in Faversham

Mention Kent and images of oast houses and pretty tilehung villages scattered across the Weald spring to mind. The north-eastern end of the county hardly ever gets a look in. The market town of Faversham is not referred to as "Kent's best-kept secret" for nothing. But this coastal town, at the heart of the traditional fruit-growing area of Kent, surrounded by cherry and apple orchards, has its own quiet beauty.

Laurence Young, the former town centre manager, says: "This quintessential English market town, with a busy community life and good schools is surrounded by great sweeps of countryside with pretty villages on its doorstep." And trains run to Faversham from three London stations.

Faversham is 10 minutes by car from what has become highly priced Whitstable. "Faversham has always been a slow-burner, but it is attracting a lot more London-based buyers hanging onto the shirt tails of Whitstable," says Graham Mitten, of Baldwins Estate Agents. "People like the proximity of the unspoilt coastline."

The town has a fascinating history, reflected in its prodigious stock of fine architecture. Until the middle of the 15th century most shipping bound for London from the East went through Faversham's port, attached to Dover as a corporate member of the Cinque Ports. Today, the town retains its maritime flavour and attracts many sailing enthusiasts, who keep boats at nearby Oare.

The area is rapidly becoming known for culinary pleasures. There are plans afoot to hold a food festival similar to the annual one in Ludlow. This month, Shepherd Neame, the local and oldest brewery, will open a new hotel, The Ship, in a 17th century building next to The Sun, a 14th century pub in West Street. There is also a clutch of award-winning gastro pubs within a few minutes' drive, such as The Sportsman at Seasalter and The Dove at Dargate, as well as the Michelin-starred Reads restaurant. Local food shops are good, and Macknade offers a global choice.

The Guildhall, in Market Place, dominates the town centre. It is a handsome building, constructed in 1574 as a market hall and converted in 1604. The ground floor's timber arcades still house the weekly market.

Baldwins has several fine properties for sale, including the four-bedroom Wharf House, a 17th century building with an 18th century façade. It has been painstakingly restored after falling derelict and is on offer for £369,000.

Only 40 years ago, Faversham was in the doldrums, and Abbey Street, surely one of the most attractive streets in the South-East, was in a piteous state. Now restored, it is a complete pre-19th century street running down to Faversham Creek from the centre of town. Houses in Abbey Street are snapped up very quickly.

One of the most intriguing properties for sale in the area is on Church Road in Oare, which Your Move has on the market at £395,000. It is an amalgam of an early 19th century, threestorey town house with a 17th century house to the rear. The interior is notable for a room in the older part of the house papered with early 19th century French scenic wood-blocked wallpaper depicting the invasion of Peru. The room is used as a kitchen, but English Heritage has offered a grant for restoration to convert it back to its original function as a reception room. The house has superb views over Faversham Creek and Oare marshes.

If you fancy being Bob Geldof's neighbour, Ravenscourt, with a medieval timber-framed five-bedroom-house, a detached one-bedroom cottage and professionally landscaped gardens, is being sold by Baldwins for £675,000. It is near to Geldof's home on an elevated position in an enclave of other attractive old buildings on the outskirts of the town.