St Nicholas at Wade, Kent, England.

The ancestral home of the Gillow and Bridges families.

A small village of some 1000 people, with no shops, one post office, one school, one church and two pubs. The name derives from the fact that St Nicholas is the patron saint of sailors, and that one used to “wade” across a channel here to get to the mainland.
The Norman church dates from the 13th century, and there are remains of earlier buildings. Concerts are held in the church two or three times a year. Other village events include Open Gardens (beginning of June), the ancient tradition of Hoodening, and Father Christmas, who comes around in a pony-drawn sleigh on Christmas morning distributing presents. There used to be a torch-lit procession to the sea on Guy Fawkes’ Night but this no longer takes place.