Local Information

Benenden Village

2008-10-03T03:13:00.000-07:00

Benenden is a village and civil parish in the Tunbridge Wells District of Kent, England. The parish is located on the Weald six miles (10km) to the west of Tenterden and four miles (7km) from Cranbrook. In addition to the main village, Iden Green, East End, Dingleden and Standen Street settlements are included in the parish. Benenden is without a doubt one of the prettiest villages in Kent with three character Country Inns serving lovely home cooked food and with well stocked cellars with excellent real ales, a quintessentially English Village Green dominated by a large medieval Church. The parish church is dedicated to St George, and is a 19th century building on the site of a medieval building destroyed in a fire. Benenden School, a private all girls school is located to the north of the village.

The Wealden iron industry probably existed in the area from before the Roman period, but evidence of two Roman roads built to take the cast iron from the Weald have been discovered, as well as other finds from the period. The evidence of one road, that between Maidstone and Hastings at Iden Green, is in the form of a paved ford.
In 1907 a consortium of trade unions and friendly societies established a chest hospital in Goddard's Green Road, Benenden for the treatment of tuberculosis. Today the hospital is an independent organisation, for most medical and surgical specialities.
Kent is renowned for the quality, choice and commitment to excellence of its educational system in both the public and private sector. Noteworthy schools in the area include Ashford, Benenden, Bethany, Cranbrook, Dulwich, Friars, Kings, Marlborough House, St Edmunds, St Ronans, Sutton Valence and Underhill to name but a few.

Commuters have the Main Line Railway Station at Staplehurst with a large Car Park. There are fast and frequent services to London Bridge/Charing Cross/Cannon St (55 mins). One can travel down line to Ashford International and beyond to the South Coast including Dover Docks. The M20 Motorway is
some 16 miles from Frame Farm, giving direct fast access to London, Ashford and the South Coast. From the M20 one can access the complete Motorway Network.

EDUCATION
Kent is renowned for the quality, choice and commitment to excellence of its educational system in both the public and private sector. Noteworthy schools in the area include Ashford, Benenden, Bethany, Cranbrook, Dulwich, Friars, Kings, Marlborough House, St Edmunds, St Ronans, Sutton Valence and Underhill to name but a few.

Biddenden Village

2008-10-03T03:12:00.000-07:00

Biddenden is a village and civil parish in the Ashford District of Kent, England. The village lies on the Weald of Kent, some five miles (8km) north of Tenterden. It was centre for Wealden iron industry and also of clothmaking. During the reign of Edward III some Flemish clothworkers settled in the area. The ready availability of raw materials led to the establishment of an industry for the production of broadcloth. The Old Cloth Hall is a reminder of the trade that was once carried out in the Village by Flemish weavers. An important cottage industry is established to the west, where wine and cider is produced.
Picturesque and steeped in history, Biddenden is a 'chocolate box', quintessentially English Village with beautiful half-timbered buildings dating from the 15th century flanking the cobbled High Street pavements. The Biddenden Village sign-post depicts the Biddenden Maids, Eliza and Mary Chulkhurst, who were Siamese twins joined at the hips and shoulders, born in 1100. The twins died at the age of 34 and left their 20 Acre plot of land to the poor. The twins are commemorated in the Village by a gift of bread and cheese given to the old age pensioners every Easter Monday. The gift is handed out at the Old Workhouse, which dates from the 15th century. The place name of Biddenden is derived from Old English, meaning Bidda's woodland pasture associated with a man called Bida originally Biddingden (c993) Bida + ing + denn, eventually evolved into the current spelling.

Biddenden is also the trading name of Biddenden's Cider. Biddenden's cider is made by Biddenden Vineyards Ltd. whose premises are close to the village of Biddenden. Biddenden Vineyards have a website.
Transport connections are excellent with a Mainline Station at Headcorn providing fast and frequent trains to London, Ashford International and the South Coast and connections at Tonbridge with Gatwick Airport. From Ashford International one can join the Eurostar train service, bringing Paris and Brussels within about 90 minutes' travelling time. Ashford will also provide a new fast rail link to London, forecast to be finished soon, which promises a rail service into Central London taking approximately 35 minutes. Junctions 8 and 9 of the M20 Motorway are each approximately 12 miles away offering road links to the South Coast and the M25 leading to London, Lakeside, Bluewater, Gatwick, Heathrow and Stansted Airports. From the M20 one is connected to the full UK Motorway Network. Eurotunnel, accessed via Exit 11 on the M20, provides an excellent train service for motorists wishing to travel over to Calais in their cars, in a journey time of approximately 35 minutes.

EDUCATION
Kent is renowned for the quality, choice and commitment to excellence of its educational system in both the public and private sector. Noteworthy schools in the area include Ashford, Benenden, Bethany, Cranbrook, Dulwich, Friars, Kings, Marlborough House, St Edmunds, St Ronans, Sutton Valence and Underhill to name but a few.

Cranbrook

2008-10-03T02:59:00.000-07:00

Cranbrook is a small market town with a shopping centre one can expect from its size. A wide range of shops can be found in the high street. It is on the main bus route from Maidstone to Hastings . The main train service from Dover and Ashford to London can be caught at nearby Staplehurst , about 5 miles to the north.

Cranbrook has a very pretty old high street, which winds through this small market town which retains the pretty medieval character from its past. It is an old town, which came to prominence in the 15th century as a centre of the weaving industry, much like nearby Tenterden . In 1331 the export of unwashed wool was prohibited by King Edward III. He encouraged weavers from Flanders to settle here, thus bringing their weaving and dying techniques to England. Many of the buildings date back to this prosperous time, including the parish church, St Dunstans which is known locally as the Cathedral of the Weald because of its size.

Cranbrook for which the name is derived from brook(stream) where the cranes were to be found the lies about 18 miles east of Royal Tunbridge Wells on the B2189. The earliest record of the name is in the Domesday Monochorum of 1070 as Cranebroca.
Cranbrook boasts one of the most impressive windmills in the country - The Union Mill. It was built in 1814 by James Humphrey for Henry Dobell. It is an impressive Stock Mill, on a three storey brick base, standing 75ft high it is the second tallest in the country. It fell into disrepair, and was bought by Kent County Council in 1957.

EDUCATION

Kent is renowned for the quality, choice and commitment to excellence of its educational system in both the public and private sector. Noteworthy schools in the area include Ashford, Benenden, Bethany, Cranbrook, Dulwich, Friars, Kings, Marlborough House, St Edmunds, St Ronans, Sutton Valence and Underhill to name but a few.

Northiam Village

2008-10-03T02:55:00.000-07:00

Northiam is a village and

civil parish in the Rother District of East Sussex, England. The village is located thirteen miles (21 km) north of Hastings in the valley of the River Rother. There is a Site of Special Scientific Interest within the parish. Officially designated as Northiam, it refers to a disused and partially flooded quarry on the outskirts of Northiam village. It is of geological, palaeoenvironments and palaeogeography, interest.
Cottages covered with white weatherboarding look out over a large Village Green at Northiam where Oaks and Limes grow with one great Oak dominating the scene, and it is beneath this tree that Elizabeth I is reputed to have rested on 11 August 1573. There is a range of good local Shops. There is also a popular Church and a range of fantastic Country Inns in and around the Village with 'Flackley Ash', - an excellent Hotel and Spa only minutes drive away. The parish church is dedicated to St Mary. The historic house Great Dixter is found within the village.
Jempsons Supermarket is in the nearby Village of Peasmarsh, and for a more comprehensive range of Shopping and Banking Facilities Rye and Tenterden are within easy driving distance. Hastings is also located approximately 20 minutes drive away, where there are a variety of Shops including a Sainsbury's and a Tesco. Tunbridge Wells with its fantastic range of shops, Supermarkets, Restaurants Cinemas and Theatres is some 40 minutes drive away.

Tenterden is situated approximately 10 to 15 minutes drive away, the Town has a variety of excellent Restaurants, friendly Country Inns and fascinating Antique Shops all within walking distance of each other. Ashford also has much to offer including a vibrant Designer Outlet Village.

For commuting purposes, the Railway Stations of Battle, Etchingham and Robertsbridge offer regular services to London/Charing Cross and Cannon Street.

The Channel Ports and Channel Tunnel provide links to Europe. Recreational facilities within the area are plentiful, with Bewl Water for Water Sports, Golf Courses and a wealth of Sports Centres abound locally. There are a variety of excellent Schools in the area including Vine Hall in Robertsbridge and Marlborough House and St Ronans in Hawkhurst. There is a local Primary School at the bottom of the road and school buses to the local Secondary Schools collect and drop off children nearby. These buses are provided for Robertsbridge Community College, Thomas Peacock and Homewood Secondary School and Sixth Form Centre.

EDUCATION

Northiam C of E Primary School
Nearby Kent is renowned for the quality, choice and commitment to excellence of its educational system in both the public and private sector. Noteworthy schools in the area include Ashford, Benenden, Bethany, Cranbrook, Dulwich, Friars, Kings, Marlborough House, St Edmunds, St Ronans, Sutton Valence and Underhill to name but a few.

Wadhurst Village

2008-10-03T02:52:00.000-07:00

Wadhurst is a market town in East Sussex, England.

It is the centre of the civil parish of Wadhurst, which also includes the hamlets of Cousley Wood and Tidebrook. Wadhurst is twinned with Aubers in France. There are three buildings of particular architectural interest in the town itself, and a good range of old manor houses and farms nearby. The Church of St. Peter and St. Paul dominates the centre of the town. Wadhurst's heritage as a centre of the iron industry is shown by the many iron gravestones in the church. There are two early Georgian houses on the High Street, the Old Vicarage and Hill House. Also to mention is The Greyhound Public House which was built in the 16th century. The rest of the town is in a variety of vernacular styles, dating from the 15th century onwards, though little in the centre of the town is very modern apart from a range of shops which replaced the Queens Head Hotel, demolished in a jet crash in the 1950s.

The Victorian era saw the town expand towards the new railway station, about 1.5 miles north of the town. The

station (the highest in southern England) is on the line from London Charing Cross to Hastings via Tunbridge Wells, and was opened in 1851 by the South Eastern Railway. The resulting expansion brought the hamlets of Sparrow's Green, Turners Green and Best Beech Hill into the town.
Wadhurst is situated on the Kent-Sussex border seven miles east of Crowborough and about seven miles south of Tunbridge Wells. Other nearby settlements include Ticehurst, Burwash, Mayfield and Heathfield in East Sussex, and Lamberhurst, Hawkhurst and Cranbrook in Kent. Physically, Wadhurst lies on a high ridge of the Weald - a range of wooded hills running across Sussex and Kent between the North Downs and the South Downs. The reservoir of Bewl Water is nearby. The River Bewl, which is a sub-tributary of the River Medway, and the Limden rise within the civil parish of Wadhurst.

The name Wadhurst (Wadeherst in early records) is Anglo-Saxon and most probably derives from Wada which is believed to be the name of a Saxon tribe which occupied the area and began the clearing of the forests in the 7th or 8th century. There is an Anglo-Saxon manor known as Bivelham which lay between the parishes of Wadhurst and Mayfield. Although Wadhurst was almost certainly in existence at the time of the

Domesday survey in 1086, it was part of the Archbishop of Canterbury's land and was therefore not mentioned. The earliest record relating to the area is a reference in the Cartulary of Battle Abbey to "Snape in the parish of Wadhurst". It was Henry III who granted Wadhurst its charter in 1253. This allowed Wadhurst to hold a market every Saturday and a fair on the feast of St Peter and St Paul, 29 June.
In the 16th, 17th & 18th centuries Wadhurst had a thriving iron industry. Two of the large Georgian buildings in the High Street, Hill House and The Old Vicarage, were both ironmasters houses, along with a number of other large houses on the outskirts of Wadhurst.
Wadhurst is a small market town, and has kept a very good range of shops considering its size. It has a traditional butcher, baker, ironmonger, hairdresser, bank, post office, gift shop, several pubs and much more. Such a wide range of small traders and services is almost unique in the villages in the locality. The population of the ward was 5,075 during the 2001 Census.
Wadhurst is a prosperous town and an important centre for London commuters, although it is far enough from London not to feel completely like a dormitory town. Wadhurst has a number of amenities, including several cafes. It has active clubs and societies, and As with much of south-east England, traffic has become a problem in recent years. For the commuter, Wadhurst main line station has a regular service to London Bridge (from 54 minutes) and Charing Cross. For motorists there is easy access onto a number of major road routes. Leisure activities in the area include riding and walking in the surrounding countryside, golf at the East
Sussex National, Lamberhurst and other golf courses, sailing on the Kent and Sussex coast and at Bewl Water.

EDUCATION

Two primary schools

Secondary school and sixth-form college (

Uplands Community College)
Independent Schools in Wadhurst
Bricklehurst Manor, Bardown Road, Wadhurst - Day, BOYS: Nursery, Pre Prep, Prep , GIRLS: Nursery, Pre Prep, Prep
Sacred Heart School, Mayfield Lane, Wadhurst - Day, BOYS: Nursery, Pre Prep, Prep , GIRLS: Nursery, Pre Prep, Prep

Nearby Kent is renowned for the quality, choice and commitment to excellence of its educational system in both the public and private sector. Noteworthy schools in the area include Ashford, Benenden, Bethany, Cranbrook, Dulwich, Friars, Kings, Marlborough House, St Edmunds, St Ronans, Sutton Valence and Underhill to name but a few.

Pluckley Village

2008-10-03T02:46:00.000-07:00

Pluckley is a village and civil parish in the Ashford District of Kent, United Kingdom. It is located close to the North Downs, and is approximately 5 miles (8 km) west of Ashford. One part of the village is called Pluckley Thorne. References to Pluckley can be found in the Domesday Book, at which time it was a more significant settlement than the now considerably larger town of Ashford.

The village is approximately 5 miles (8 km) from the nearest junction of the M20 motorway, is served by Pluckley railway station, about 1.25 miles (2 km) to the south and lies on the long distance walking route, the Greensand Way and close to the Stour Valley Walk.
Pluckley is renowned for its gothic style Dering windows and the association with 'The Darling Buds of May'. Pluckley mainline station has trains going to Charing Cross, whilst Charing station offers an alternative service to London Victoria.

Pluckley offers good local amenities, including a post office/store, excellent butcher, primary school,
public houses and a historic church.

Wider facilities are found in Ashford, which has an excellent shopping centre and choice of schools
and recreational facilities.

The Kent Education system is regarded by many as one of the best in the country, and there is a wide selection of schools, both private and state, in the area.

Golf courses include those at Headcorn, Biddenden and Tenterden and the beautiful countryside
surrounding the property is a delight to ramblers and riders alike.
Pluckley has two particular claims to fame: the ITV drama series, The Darling Buds of May, was filmed there; and it is said to be the most haunted village in Britain. It is reputed to have twelve (possibly thirteen or fourteen) ghosts.

These are:
The spectre of the highwayman speared to a tree at Fright Corner;
A phantom coach and horses, apparently manifesting the vicinity of Maltman's Hill;
The ghost of a Gypsy woman who burned to death in her sleep;
The black ghost of a miller haunting the ruins of a windmill near "The Pinnocks";
The hanging body of a schoolmaster in Dicky Buss's Lane;
A colonel who hanged himself in Park Wood;
The screaming ghost of a man being smothered by a wall of clay at the brickworks;
The Lady of Rose Court, who is said to have eaten poisoned berries in despair over a love triangle;
The Phantom Monk of "Greystones", a house built in 1863. There is a suggestion he may have been the unrequited love object of the Lady of Rose Court;
The White Lady of Dering, a young woman apparently buried inside 7 coffins and an oak sarcophagus who haunts the chuchyard of St. Nicholas's Church;
The Red Lady, reputedly an earlier member of the same ancient Dering family who also haunts St Nicholas'. The legend of the Red and White Ladies seem to overlap. A third ghost has apparently also been reported in the same place.
The Screaming Woods, an area of forest outside of town supposedly haunted by the ghosts of many who became lost in the woods. It was given its name because you can supposedly still hear their screams from inside the forest at night.
Three other buildings in the village are also apparently haunte.
Sir Edward Dering, 1st Baronet is buried here. The Dering Manuscript the earliest extant manuscript text of any Shakespearean play,was discovered at Surrenden Manor, Pluckley, Kent. The manuscript provides a single-play version of both Part 1 and Part 2 of Henry IV. The consensus of Shakespeare scholars is that the Dering MS. represents a redaction prepared around 1613, perhaps for family or amateur theatrics, by Edward Dering (1598-1644), of Surrenden Manor, Pluckley, Kent.

EDUCATION
Pluckley Primary School
Homewood Secondary School and Sixth Form College, Tenterden
Ashford School, Independent
The Norton Natchbull School, Boys Grammar, Ashford
Highworth Grammar School for Girls, Ashford

Hamstreet Village

2008-10-03T02:35:00.000-07:00

Key Details...

Ashford: 6 milesFacilities: Primary School with Kindergarten attached, Small Supermarket with Post Office, Pub, Doctors Surgery, Newsagents, Antiques Shop, Dance Studio, Cycle Shop, Dentist, Hairdressers, Garage, Village Hall, Sports Field, Tennis Court, Garden Centre, Mobile Library and Railway Station (Ashford/Hastings line).

Local Links…
Parish Council

Primary School

Hamstreet Surgery

Parish Church

1st Ruckinge & Hamstreet Scout Group

Hamstreet Woods Nature Reserve

Hamstreet village is twinned with Therouane village in France. There is a supermarket, newsagents and a hairdressers as well as a garden centre. There are many social activities in the village and most of which are held in the Victory Hall and the friendly pub serves good, hot food. In addition to which is a tea room in the village.
The village is located some six miles south of Ashford on the A2070, the main road between Ashford and Hastings. The majority of the village is in the parish of Orlestone, named after a much older hamlet located one mile north of Hamstreet on the ridge of hills; however, part of the village falls within the parish of Warehorne, giving it a population of approximately 2,000 and a loose claim to having three pubs.
The parish church, dedicated to The Good Shephard, is now a shared Anglican/Methodist building, and the parish churches of Orlestone, Snave (now a redundant church), Ruckinge, Warehorne and Kenardington are all within the same benefice. Parts of the parish church of St Mary the Virgin, Orlestone date back to the 11th century. Until the coming of the railway in 1853, Hamstreet was just a hamlet known as 'Ham' based around the weatherboard village centre. The village expanded rapidly during the 20th century and had its moment of fame in 1991, when maps of the Hamstreet at various stages in history were used on a series of postage stamps to mark 200 years of the Ordnance Survey – this chance arose because the Hamstreet area was the first to be mapped in this way. An episode of BBC TV's 'Countryfile' was also devoted to the occasion. The village also featured in a mountaineering spoof in Blue Peter to raise money for charity.

There is a station on the Hastings / Ashford line, with direct services to Brighton. Hamstreet Woods are visited by many throughout the year and offer numerous pleasant walks and a stretch of the Royal Military Canal runs right through the parish making it very popular with anglers. Two large areas of public woodland surround the village, namely Ham Street Woods and Orlestone Forest, Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs). Both are remnants of the ancient forest that once covered the whole of the Weald of Kent. The Royal Military Canal, the UK's third longest defensive structure, passes by half a mile to the south. Three long distance footpaths also run through the parish: The Saxon Shore Way, Greensand Way (which begins at the main crossroads and runs for 110 miles (177 km) to Haslemere, Surrey) and The Royal Military Canal Path. The area is also popular with cyclists, as Romney Marsh to the south is completely flat!Activities in the village include Under Fives Club, Table Tennis Club, Football Club, Bowls Club, Play School, Sports and Leisure Association and Short Mat Bowls Club.

EDUCATION
Hamstreet Primary School
Homewood Secondary School and Sixth Form College, Tenterden
Ashford School, Independent
The Norton Natchbull School, Boys Grammar, Ashford
Highworth Grammar School for Girls, Ashford

Appledore Village

2008-10-03T02:31:00.000-07:00

Key Details...
Population: 820Ashford: 12 milesFacilities: Post Office, Village Store, Recreation Ground, Tennis Courts, three Pubs, Garage, Village Hall, Doctors Surgery, Railway Station two miles from village, bus services to Ashford, Tenterden and Rye.

Local Links…
Parish Church

The Black Lion Pub

Women's Institute

Appledore was once a port on the estuary of the River Rother but 13th-century storms caused the river to change its course; the village street now leads down to the Royal Military Canal. A French raid in 1380 resulted in the burning of the church: it was later rebuilt. The village was permitted to hold a market in the main street by Edward II. In 1804, when there was threat of invasion by Napoleon the Royal Military Canal was built: Appledore stands on its northern bank. The Rhee Wall, a 13th century waterway. was built to carry silt away from the eastern part of the Romney Marsh; it runs from Appledore to New Romney.
Appledore is now a village and civil parish in the Ashford District of Kent, England. The village centre is 12 miles (19km) south-west of Ashford town, and on the northern edge of the Romney Marsh. The northerly part of this village is Appledore Heath.
Today the village is served by a secondary road (B2080) between Tenterden and New Romney; and by the "Marsh Link" railway line between both Brighton or Hastings and Ashford. The railway station is located beyond the Canal, some 2 miles (3km) distant.
Appledore village is very pretty, and has an open and peaceful feel to it. The walk along the banks of the Royal Military Canal, is very enjoyable and relaxing, the route to Woodchurch in the East is owned by the National Trust.
The Domesday Book(1086) records that a church existed, but no stonework of that time can be identified in the existing church of St Peter and St Paul, however much of the 13th century work has survived. The font dates from the 15th century. The screen which is unusual in that it extends right across the church, is in three sections, each having different designs, and dates from the 14th century. The church also houses a stunning tapestry which was worked to commemorate the 800th anniversary of the church in 1988. It depicts the history of this lovely village, and is well worth viewing and houses the annual Festival of Flowers. This together with the mediaeval houses and forge on The Street all add to the charm of the village.
Appledore has a few shops and public houses, but the main shopping towns are Rye to the West, Tenterden to the North or Ashford to the East. Appledore is situated on the B2080 just on the edge of the Romney Marshes, where until the 13th century the river Rother used to reach the sea.
The Royal Military Canal running through Appledore provides excellent walks and fishing by day tickets. There are tearooms and antique and craft shops in the village, a picnic area and woodland walks as well as a friendly pub which serves good food and organises regular village events. Appledore has two churches and many organisations including WI, Good Companions, a Football Club, Gardening Club, Mother and Toddler, History Club, Riding Association, Bell Ringers and Short Mat Bowls.

The picturesque, tree-lined town of Tenterden with its elegant Georgian Houses is some five miles to the north-east and offers excellent Shopping and Banking facilities including Waitrose and Tesco Supermarkets, as well as many specialist retailers and Antique Shops. Tenterden also hosts a Sports and Leisure Centre as well as some excellent Restaurants and Country Inns. Headcorn and Ashford both offer excellent Rail Links to London. Ashford International provides rail links to Europe. The new fast rail link to London is forecasted to be finished soon: we are then promised a rail service into Central London taking approx. 35 minutes. There are a good variety of schools to suit all needs plus an excellent range of leisure pursuits within the area.

EDUCATION
Hamstreet Primary School
Homewood Secondary School and Sixth Form College, Tenterden
Ashford School, Independent
The Norton Natchbull School, Boys Grammar, Ashford
Highworth Grammar School for Girls, Ashford

Bethersden Village

2008-10-03T02:27:00.000-07:00

Key Details...

Population: 1,300Ashford: 6 milesFacilities: Primary School, Post Office/Shop, Pet Shop, SaHairdressers, Picture Framers, three Pubs, Village Hall, Recreation Ground and Play Park, Tennis Courts, Doctor's Surgery, Bus services to Ashford and Tenterden.
Bethersden is a pretty little picture box village within easy reach of Ashford and Tenterden. The church of St Margaret's with its 15th century tower dominates the western side of the village and has annual flower festivals.

Local Links…
Bethersden Primary School

Parish Council

Bethersden Tennis Club

Women's Institute

The Old Stables Bed & Breakfast

The Bull Pub

The village has a well stocked, friendly post office/shop, three pubs all serving food and an ironcraft centre where you can buy anything from candlesticks to gates for your driveway. There is a playing field with swings etc., and tennis courts as well as a cricket ground. The annual garden fete is a popular and enjoyable event in the village and regular boot sales are held together with other events throughout the year.

Bethersden is a small village and civil parish five miles (8km) west of Ashford, Kent.
The village has three public houses – The Royal Spice, The Bull and The George. It has a beautiful church (St Margaret's), built in the early 15th century, and a baptist church (Union Chapel). The Bethersden Parish Records Society holds the original parish register, maps, books, photographs and other records relating to the village.
Bethersden formerly well-known for producing Marble and was a centre of the Kentish wool trade. Lovelace Place in Bethersden was the birthplace of 17th-century poet Richard Lovelace. Several successful business have operated from the village: The Stevenson Brothers, who produce high quality hand made rocking horses, W & D Cole, who make iron gates and railings and the former Colt Houses, who sold pre fabricated timber homes.
Bethersden has a variety of amenities including a small Primary School, Post Office/Village Stores, Family Butchers, Country Inns, a Village Hall and a Recreation Ground.
The village has a football team and a cricket team, and a small primary school. Village clubs and organisations include Gardeners Society, Cricket Club, Tennis Club, Old Tyme Dance Club, Bowls Club, Womens Institute, Playgroup, Brownies, Cubs, Scouts and Guides to name just a few!
For commuting purposes, the nearest Mainline Station is at Pluckley (approximately 0.93 miles) with train services into Central London. Slightly further afield is Headcorn Station (approx 12.47 miles) which from a convenience point of view is close to several useful shops including a branch of Sainsbury's. In December 2009, commuters' have been promised a new high-speed train service from Ashford to London - estimated journey time to take around 37 minutes. Ashford International provides rail links to Europe: bringing Brussels and Paris within some 90 minutes journey time. The A28 will take you to Junction 9 of the M20 Motorway (approx. 6 miles away) which offers road links to the South Coast and the M25 leading to London, Lakeside, Bluewater, Gatwick, Heathrow, Stansted Airport and Kent International Airport at Manston. Once the M20 has been accessed, one can connect onto the full UK Motorway Network.
Eurotunnel, accessed via Exit 11 on the M20, provides an excellent train service for motorists wishing to travel over to Calais in their cars, a journey time of approximately 35 minutes.
Kent is renowned for the quality, choice and commitment to excellence of its educational system in both the public and private sector. Noteworthy schools in the area include - Ashford, Homewood House in Tenterden, Friars, Dulwich, Kings, St Edmunds, Sutton Valence, Underhill, St Ronan's, Marlborough House, Benenden and Cranbrook School to name but a few.

EDUCATION
Bethersden Primary School
Homewood Secondary School and Sixth Form College, Tenterden
Ashford School, Independent
The Norton Natchbull School, Boys Grammar, Ashford
Highworth Grammar School for Girls, Ashford

High HaldenVillage

2008-10-03T02:24:00.000-07:00

Key Details...
Population: 1,600Ashford: 7 milesFacilities: Primary School, Post Office, Village Shop, Pub, Mobile Library and Village Hall.

Local Links…
Parish Council Primary School

Hopes Grove Bed & Breakfast

High Halden Football Club

High Halden is a village and civil parish in the Ashford District of Kent, England. The village is located on the A28 road between Ashford town 7 miles and Tenterden, 3miles north of the latter.

The public house The Chequers Inn, circa 1620, is known to have been used by smugglers and the various gangs such as the "Hawkhurst" and "Cranbrook" gangs that were active in the mid-18th century. This olde worlde pub is a family run friendly inn serving good tasty food. There is a shop called Posh Tubs for all your bathroom furniture and a large garden centre with a pet shop.

Fifty tons of oak was used to build the unusual tower and spire of the 10th–14th-century church, St Mary the Virgin, in 1470-1490. The church was restored in 1835 through funds donated by Mrs. Amy Kynaston Sutton, widow of the former vicar Evelyn Levett Sutton. The parish is recorded in the Domesday Book and parts of a Norman manor house can be seen at Tiffenden Farm.
Every Spring the Horticultural Society hold a very well supported show and the village has many activities including Football Club, Cricket Club, Youth Club, Playgroup, Brownies and Short Mat Bowls.

For commuting purposes, the nearest Mainline Station is at Pluckley (approximately 0.93 miles) with train services into Central London. Slightly further afield is Headcorn Station (approx 12.47 miles) which from a convenience point of view is close to several useful shops including a branch of Sainsbury's. In December 2009, commuters' have been promised a new high-speed train service from Ashford to London - estimated journey time to take around 37 minutes. Ashford International provides rail links to Europe: bringing Brussels and Paris within some 90 minutes journey time. The A28 will take you to Junction 9 of the M20 Motorway (approx. 6 miles away) which offers road links to the South Coast and the M25 leading to London, Lakeside, Bluewater, Gatwick, Heathrow, Stansted Airport and Kent International Airport at Manston. Once the M20 has been accessed, one can connect onto the full UK Motorway Network.
Eurotunnel, accessed via Exit 11 on the M20, provides an excellent train service for motorists wishing to travel over to Calais in their cars, a journey time of approximately 35 minutes.
Kent is renowned for the quality, choice and commitment to excellence of its educational system in both the public and private sector. Noteworthy schools in the area include - Ashford, Homewood House in Tenterden, Friars, Dulwich, Kings, St Edmunds, Sutton Valence, Underhill, St Ronan's, Marlborough House, Benenden and Cranbrook School to name but a few.

EDUCATION
High Halden C of E Primary School
Homewood Secondary School and Sixth Form College, Tenterden
Ashford School, Independent
The Norton Natchbull School, Boys Grammar, Ashford
Highworth Grammar School for Girls, Ashford

Woodchurch Village

2008-10-03T02:20:00.000-07:00

Key Details...

Ashford: 7 miles

Facilities: Primary School, two Pubs, Post Office, Doctors Surgery, Mobile Library, Village Hall, two Garages, Village Store, Model Shop, Butchers, Newsagents, Rare Breeds Centre, Windmill and Village Museum.

Local Links…
General Information Woodchurch Community Website

SchoolsWoodchurch Primary School

Sports ClubsWoodchurch Tennis Club

Other OrganisationsWoodchurch Museum Parish Church Scouts and Guides Community CentreWomens Institute Local and Family History website

Local AttractionsRare Breeds Centre & Country Farm Park

Self-Catering AccommodationGreat Engeham Farms Holiday Lets

Woodchurch is a picturesque Kent village which is situated 7 miles from the historic market town of Ashford and 5 miles from the Cinque Ports town of Tenterden. The village is on the edge of the

Weald of Kent, whilst the parish extends 6 miles (10 km) north to south and 4 miles (6 km) east to west, one of Kent's largest. Within the village are the settlements of Brattle and Townland Green. To the south-west is the flat expanse of Shirley Moor leading to Romney Marsh and the low wooded hills overlooking Appledore and the Marsh are to the south-east. The surrounding area is designated as a Kent Special Landscape Area
The village became firmly established in the 13th century with the erection of the large All Saints church made of Kentish Rag stone. Although it was extensively restored in the 1840s, it still boasts a 13th century chancel and a famous brass of the 14th century, depicting a floriated cross design. It has an unusual four-faced clock and a spire which is 18 inches (46 cm) out of the vertical at the top.
The village primary school is situated near the church and was a National school. The first building was erected in 1844 and the school has since been enlarged on three occasions, namely, in 1872, 1896 and most recently in 1998.
The Museum is housed in an 18th century oak-framed barn and 17th century cart shed, on a rural site not far from the village centre.

The windmill that overlooks the village from the north commands extensive views over the Walland marshes to the English Channel coast. It is a fine example of a Kentish smock mill and was originally one of a pair of windmills standing on this site, known locally as The Twins. This impressive white smock windmill in the village has been fully restored and is opened to the public on Sunday afternoons throughout the summer.

Woodchurch prides itself in having many different clubs and organisations which include a Playgroup, Beavers, Scouts, Venture Scouts, Rainbows, Brownies and Guides, Darby and Joan Club, Tennis, Football, Cricket, and Netball Clubs, Pantomime Society and many more. Woodchurch is a large, social village and is proud to have won the 'Best Kept Village' competition four times. There is a well maintained village green in the heart of the village with a play area for children and each year on Guy Fawkes a torchlight procession sets off from the green to the scouts field where they give a huge firework display.
The South of England Rare Breeds Centre, one of 16 Rare Breeds Survival Trust approved farm-parks, is located nearby on the B2067 road and holds many family functions throughout the year.

EDUCATION
Woodchurch C of E Primary School
Homewood Secondary School and Sixth Form College, Tenterden
Ashford School, Independent
The Norton Natchbull School, Boys Grammar, Ashford
Highworth Grammar School for Girls, Ashford