Faversham

Town in Kent, England, 15 km/9 mi northwest of Canterbury; population (2001) 18,200. Faversham has prehistoric, Roman, and Anglo-Saxon associations, and was an important medieval river port, situated on Faversham Creek. The port now trades in timber, fertilizers, and petroleum spirit. Agricultural produce includes hops, apples, and cherries, and there are fruit-canning, grading, and packing stations. Brewing and brickmaking and several light industries are also present in the town. Faversham is one of England's best-preserved historic towns.

Abbey Street in Faversham has been restored as a complete period piece from before the 19th century, and there are many ancient buildings in the town, including those in Market Place, the Norman church of St Mary of Charity, and the old grammar school.

The former village of Ospringe, now within the town, has the Maison Dieu museum, containing Roman finds. A large abbey – erected by King Stephen in the 12th century, originally for the Cluniac order and later for the Benedictines – was excavated at Faversham in 1965.