Chagall’s gems at Tudely, Kent

Rare stained-glass windows in a country church

The left-hand panel by Chagall depicts the Fall of Adam

There is a beautiful walk near Tonbridge in Kent, taking you across meadows, through bluebell woods and orchards, called the Trinity because it takes in three churches and three pubs.

A good place to start is All Saints in Tudeley, a little church with a witch’s hat steeple, where all the stained glass windows were designed by the renowned Russian émigré artist Marc Chagall.

Inside, the nave and aisles glow with the deep blues, pinks and yellows emanating from the twelve windows, installed between 1967 and 1985. You can make out saints, beasts, butterflies and seas; you see a young drowned woman, looking up from her tragic resting place in the waves; you can even touch the paintwork and Chagall’s scribbly signature.

The windows are whimsical, personal, dreamlike and reverential, reflecting a deep love of creation. Walking around the church, soaking up these images and vibrant colours, is an inspiring experience.

Birds, butterflies and the freedom of flying are recurrent themes

The windows were commissioned by Sir Henry and Lady d’Avigdor-Goldsmid, whose daughter tragically drowned in a sailing accident in 1963

From All Saints there are many walking paths in beautiful countryside, with open views to the weald, farms, woodland and water. We chose a circular route, following the path across the fields to the George and Dragon pub, then on via St Thomas à Becket Church in Capel, the Dovecote pub and St Peter’s Old Church in Pembury, ending up back at Tudeley.

The George and Dragon has a cosy, olde-worlde interior and a large, sunny garden, while the quirky little Capel Church has some notable medieval wall paintings. The whole route takes about three hours and is mostly well-marked, but I recommend taking OS map no. 136 to keep your bearings.

All Saints’ Church, Tudeley, Kent TN11 0NZ

Walk 22: The Trinity, www.walktonbridge.co.uk