Barming Bridge
Constructing a bridge at Barming caused a large amount of conflict, up until 1740 the river had been fordable at Barming allowing farmers to cross the river to land they owned on either side easily. However in 1740 an act of parliament was passed to make the River Medway navigable, this meant a large amount of construction of tow paths and locks took place and also caused the river to deepen meaning it was difficult to cross without a bridge.
Barming Bridge is unusual in the fact the bridge is recognised under three names. Barming Bridge is also known as St. Helen's bridge (St. Helen's, or East Barming Manor, was attached to the nunnery of St Helen's in London) the third name for this bridge is 'Kettle Bridge'. A number of places in this area (Barming to West Farleigh) also have the prefix Kettle; -Farm, -Lane and –Corner. “Kettle” is thought to come from “cattle”, as bridge (and other places) were part of a drovers’ (men who 'drove' or herded, the cattle) route from Romney Marsh to the Medway towns on to London. Local Morris-dancers, known as the “Kettle Bridge Clogs” dance over the bridge each year on 1st May (see link to their website - right).
The bridge has been destroyed on two occasions, once in 1795 due to flooding and the second due to an unfortunate tractor incident in which a 10 ton traction-engine, which had tried to cross the old wooden bridge and was evidently too heavy for it, ended up upside down in the water, although all men escaped unharmed. The old wooden bridge was declared unsafe and replaced by a concrete and steel structure in 1996.