The Steel Shutters & The Box Tree, The Friars

The Friars monastery was founded in 1242 by the first Carmelites to arrive from the Holy Land who came under the patronage of Richard de Grey, a crusader, who gave them a small piece of land in the manor of Aylesford. After 1538 and the Dissolution of The Monasteries it passed through many private hands until 1930 when a huge fire caused immense damage to the historic fabric of the site. After many years of restoration it was sold back to the Carmelites in 1949 and has belonged to them ever since.
For me, though, The Friars has such a strong connection with my childhood and many times as I was growing up I came to the cafe on site to have cup of Zing ( a virulent green fizzy drink with probably twenty e-numbers in it!) and a sausage roll with my brother, sister and Mum. The steel shutters in the photograph belong to a kiosk that sits opposite the pond in the grounds. This kiosk would only open for special occasions like fetes and summer fayres and always dispensed lovely ice creams and cold drinks.
The Friars has a more poignant connection for me now since my Mum died late last year but it is still a lovely quiet place to go to for a bit of reflection and to think about her.