Goodnestone-next-Graveney comes from the Old English ‘tun’ meaning an ‘enclosure,
a farmstead’ combined with a personal name; therefore, ‘Godwines farm/settlement’.
The now redundant Goodnestone parish church is a Grade: I listed building, dedicated
to Saint Bartholomew. The Normans built it around 1100. The Victorians added a porch
in 1837 and carried out minor restorations in 1876. The church ceased to be used
for regular services in 1982 and in 1996 came under the protection of the Churches
Conservation Trust, who carried out extensive repairs the following year. It remains
consecrated and is a well-preserved example of a Norman church.
