TP6473 - Thurnham Court Estate

Grid reference :	TQ 80587 58461
Type :	Pillar
Condition :	Good
Flush Bracket Number :	S3490
Current use :	none
Historic use :	Secondary
Waypoint :	TP6473
County :	Kent
Nearest town :	MAIDSTONE

Nearby trigpoints, placenames  There are 52 photos for this trigpoint (view album). This trigpoint: Is ranked joint 2016th with 23 other trigs (more). Has a mean score of 6.45/10 (from 38 logged visits) Was First logged: 10th Aug 1996 Was Last logged: 5th Apr 2013 Of the 38 logged visits, 7 recorded a location and of these.... All were within 106m The average error was 19m 1 was exact	[Zoom In/Out] [Hide Labels] [Hide Caches]
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Selection of photos for this Pillar. ©jonglew ©jonglew ©Pharisee ©Pharisee ©Pharisee By dave-harris ©Godzilla See 45 more in the album.

Logged Visits:

5th Apr 2013  00:00  by Bramley

FB Number: Not logged  Condition: Good  Score: 6/10

Up from Thurnham Castle remains then onto Marilyn - at junction of 3 paths (with seat) rather than in wood

13th Sep 2012  16:06  by jonglew

FB Number: S3490  Condition: Good  Score: 6/10

Final trig for the day. Parked partway up Castle Hill and picked up a public path going NE directly to the trig. Interesting affair co-located as it is with 3 panels giving the views south across to the High Weald. Pillar is in good condition, but plug is missing. Looking for the Marilyn, Detling Hill, was a little more tricky as it's tucked away, unmarked, in the woods somewhere.

Pillar ©jonglew
Flush Bracket ©jonglew

20th Jul 2012  13:16  by Pharisee

Gridref: TQ 80589 58461   FB Number: S3490  Condition: Good  Score: 6/10

I parked opposite the start of the path, south of the pillar. An easy walk up until I realised I was on the wrong side of a barbed wire topped fence. Fortunately, there was a gate 100 yards or so past the pillar so access was not a problem. The pillar is in good condition apart from the missing centre plug and has been tastefully(?) incorporated into a viewpoint feature. The view west towards Detling is the only one that’s open and clear of trees.

The Pillar ©Pharisee
The top of the pillar ©Pharisee
The data shot ©Pharisee
The view west. ©Pharisee

17th Jun 2012  13:00  by dave-harris

FB Number: S3490  Condition: Good  Score: 7/10

Flush Bracket

27th Mar 2012  09:05  by WhiteFriar

FB Number: Not logged  Condition: Not Logged  Score: 5/10

22nd Oct 2011  11:05  by asbown

FB Number: Not logged  Condition: Good  Score: 7/10

Good views on a lovely morning.

9th Oct 2011  15:30  by Godzilla

Gridref: TQ 80587 58461   FB Number: S3490  Condition: Good  Score: 8/10

Fantastic views across Kent. Saw a buzzard flying over Thurnham Castle.

TP6473 ©Godzilla
©Godzilla
©Godzilla

9th Aug 2011  21:35  by bowlesy

FB Number: Not logged  Condition: Good  Score: 4/10

In the dark! Managed to find it ok from the car park.

1st May 2011  09:03  by THE CYCLIST

FB Number: S3490  Condition: Good  Score: 5/10

Views spoilt by heat haze. Interesting use of location for visitor viewpoint.

14th Dec 2010  14:44  by Aye Jimmy

Gridref: TQ 80587 58466   FB Number: S3490  Condition: Good  Score: 5/10

Detling Marilyn 'summit' some distance away in wood on R.
Detling FB of the BSM type.
Detling Location and capless.

3rd Nov 2010  15:00  by kaxov

FB Number: Not logged  Condition: Good  Score: 6/10

Its always breezy up there!

25th Jul 2010  15:42  by Arnand

FB Number: S3490  Condition: Good  Score: 7/10

Nice location & great views. No cap

26th Apr 2010  14:15  by raypool

FB Number: S3490  Condition: Good  Score: 5/10

I was born 500 yards away from this trig.

2nd Apr 2010  15:34  by g4wsb

FB Number: S3490  Condition: Good  Score: 7/10

©g4wsb
©g4wsb
©g4wsb
©g4wsb

30th Dec 2009  18:51  by captain gore-tex

FB Number: Not logged  Condition: Not Logged  Score: 5/10

No view of anything, except fog!

greyness abounds ©captain gore-tex

26th Apr 2009  13:06  by Bridgeman

FB Number: S3490  Condition: Good  Score: 8/10

Walked via North Downs Way from Hollingbourne. Seats around trig point and a good view. Excellent spot for lunch stop.

Thurnham Court Estate Trig Point
Thurnham Court Estate Trig Point FB

13th Sep 2008  17:45  by RowleyBirkin

FB Number: S3490  Condition: Good  Score: 7/10

Drove out to this one on an evening when the coast-bound M20 was one enormous lorry park - Operation Stack as it is known. The local authority have done a wonderful job in preserving this pillar and incorporated it in a viewpoint feature. Compare this with certain other organisations who, to their ignorance and shame, have destroyed pillars unnecessarily.

The pillar The pillar with its companions at the viewpoint.
The pillar
Flush bracket
Information board
Sculpture also in the White Horse Country Park.

4th Aug 2008  14:56  by vegibagger

FB Number: S3490  Condition: Good  Score: 7/10

walked up from Thurnham

30th Jul 2008  00:00  by Sprog

FB Number: Not logged  Condition: Not Logged  Score: 7/10

10th Oct 2007  11:50  by dugswell2

FB Number: Not logged  Condition: Good  Score: 6/10

Detling Hill. Summit plateau appears to have a number of areas around 200 meters in height...slight higher than trig point. Castle ruins are worth a visit to view the rare Castlemilk Moorit sheep that are grazing there.

2nd Jul 2007  16:25  by M3ZTW (in the Kangaroo Hat)

FB Number: S3490  Condition: Good  Score: 7/10

A nice location for a Trig up here on the North Downs located in the White Horse Woods country park. This provides a great viewpoint over Kent and also appears to be a favourite destination for the pilots of model aircraft (gliders in particular). Anyway the Trig has been incorporated into a very nice seated area and is in good condition. I would have given it 8/10 had the centre cap not been missing from the Spider. The Ordnance Survey website lists the computing year as 1946 and the height at 198.56 metres (651.44 feet) a/s/l.

Trigpoint ©M3ZTW (in the Kangaroo Hat)
Spider ©M3ZTW (in the Kangaroo Hat)
Flush Bracket ©M3ZTW (in the Kangaroo Hat)
Seating & Viewpoint ©M3ZTW (in the Kangaroo Hat)
Trig ©M3ZTW (in the Kangaroo Hat)

17th Dec 2006  11:30  by bazza1589

FB Number: Not logged  Condition: Good  Score: 8/10

12th Oct 2006  16:45  by The Moor We Hunt...

FB Number: S3490  Condition: Good  Score: 8/10

Great views from this position on the North Downs over the Weald of Kent below. Well managed area with interesting information boards, wood sculpture and Thurnham Castle site nearby.

S3490 at Thurnham Court Estate ©The Moor We Hunt...

30th Jul 2006  12:22  by barryhunter

Gridref: TQ 80588 58465   FB Number: S3490  Condition: Good  Score: 7/10

Again not much to add, other than great views due to nice blue skys.

26th Jul 2006  19:10  by Rhayader_wanderer

FB Number: S3490  Condition: Good  Score: 7/10

Everything worth noting has already been said. Some room to park next to the main footpaths into the site near the castle.

25th Mar 2006  15:30  by Ivanhoe

FB Number: S3490  Condition: Good  Score: 7/10

Area developed into very nice viewpoint along with seat overlooking Maidstone valley.

Thurnham viewpoint

8th Mar 2006  11:33  by Uncle Jimbo

FB Number: S3490  Condition: Good  Score: 7/10

Cold, Wet & Windswept. But very peaceful.

©Uncle Jimbo

29th Jan 2006  14:46  by Team Sieni

Gridref: TQ 80585 58472   FB Number: S3490  Condition: Good  Score: 5/10

Great views. Nice walk alon N Downs Way from/to Boxley. GPSr gave height as 189m.

The Trig ©Team Sieni
Flush Bracket ©Team Sieni

30th Dec 2005  22:56  by stonestreaker

FB Number: S3490  Condition: Good  Score: 5/10

parked the night at the end of the dead end road and bagged this in the morning

14th Nov 2005  16:33  by Griefmiester

FB Number: S3490  Condition: Good  Score: 8/10

Located about 200 meters from the car park at the top of Detling Hill. Pillar in good condition apart from a missing plug. No views at the time of my visit as almost dark - Nice sunset though.

2nd Apr 2005  12:00  by peregrinus

FB Number: S3490  Condition: Good  Score: 6/10

vgc, no cap or plug, next to info boards which mistakenly refer to it as 5490! Middle of cereal field last time I was there (19/6/1999) - didn't even search for the trig as far as I recall. Fine view

montaged by JWR ©peregrinus

25th Aug 2004  15:08  by Alan Grove

Gridref: TQ 80585 58470   FB Number: S3490  Condition: Good  Score: 9/10

This is a strange place. The location is known these days as White Horse Wood and has been developed as a country park as a millennium project. Clearly a lot has been put into it with footpaths, plantations etc, and the actual trigpoint site has been turned into a viewpoint area. And all very nice it is too. The only problem on the day of my visit was that it was shut. Very surprising for 3pm on a Wednesday afternoon in August. There were no signs to this effect, but the first gate was secured with a strap (easily removed) and the second was padlocked (easily climbed). The whole site was deserted. The trigpoint was easily reached and duly logged. However, I felt all the time that I should not have been there. I checked the Kent CC website later but there was no mention of the site being closed. Previous logs made no mention of this; perhaps it is only open at weekends.

TP6473 TP6473 - Thurnham Court Estate©Alan Grove
TP6473 FB TP6473's Flush Bracket©Alan Grove
TP6473 View The viewing area at TP6473©Alan Grove

21st Aug 2004  16:00  by MCL

FB Number: S3490  Condition: Good  Score: 7/10

Cap is missing from the top and the centre tube is now full of small stones, maybe deliberately done by the authorities. Otherwise good condition and a fantastic view. Very good information point as well. Well done to the local council!

The Flush Bracket

21st Apr 2004  11:20  by minstrelcat

FB Number: 3490  Condition: Good  Score: 9/10

This trig is quite well served, with a seat and information boards! Apparently all done as part of Thurnham's millenium project.

The trig with the seat and information boards
The trig closeup
The view

11th Oct 1998  10:20  by arranc

Gridref: TQ 80500 58400   FB Number: S3490  Condition: Good  Score: 5/10

2nd May 1998  12:05  by senrabyar

FB Number: Not logged  Condition: Unreachable but visible  Score: 5/10

in cropped field

20th Dec 1997  00:00  by mickandshane

FB Number: 3490  Condition: Good  Score: 6/10

Plug missing.

10th Aug 1996  12:00  by iainmac

FB Number: Not logged  Condition: Good  Score: 5/10

Condition taken from photos