Heading through East Malling

In Kent.

Hildenborough

As well as the many photos taken during my Sevenoaks holiday i also recorded quite a few videos, including this one.

Sevenoaks day 2

Saturday was the big day of my trip to Sevenoaks (after arriving on Good Friday). I would have a full day to visit as many new railway stations as possible after the three on Friday. After a slow start due to some earlier disruption caused by a broken down train, the new stations soon racked up and i ended up visiting eleven! I also visited East Malling and Swanley, and whilst at Kemsing railway station a Spitfire flew overhead. Well i was in Kent after all, luckily no Dorniers or Heinkels were also around...

You can see my day two railway photos here, photos at East Malling and Swanley are here.

Sevenoaks day 1

This bank holiday weekend i went down to Sevenoaks. I stayed two nights and had the aim of visiting twelve stations. I didn't manage 12... i went to fourteen instead! On day 1 i visited Otford, including the lovely village, and went up to Knockholt too. I also had a look around Sevenoaks too for the first time (i have been to the station once before but did not leave it on that occasion).

You can see my railway photos from day 1 here, and photos from Otford and Sevenoaks here.

Castles (21) : Tonbridge

A castle was built in Tonbridge in Kent not long after the Norman Conquest, a motte and bailey castle was built by Richard Fitz Gilbert, the wooden keep later being replaced by a stone one. Fitz Gilbert's descendants rebelled against King William II who besiged the castle and eventually had both the castle and town burnt down!

The castle was rebuilt and expanded in the 13th century including a stone wall around the town. The castle has a large two towered gatehouse which took thirty years to construct and is one of the major remaining parts of the castle, which fell out of use in the 16th century. A mansion was built next to the gatehouse in 1793.

Churches (210) : St Michael and All Angels, Marden

The parish church of St Michael and All Angels in Marden in Kent was first built around 1200. There were additions and alternations in the following centuries and the church was restored in 1868 and 1909. The church has a nave with north and south aisles. The chancel also has chapels on the north and south sides. There is a tower to the west which was one of the additions to the church in the 13th century.

The church is built from coursed and random sandstone, rag stone and pudding stone.

Churches (197) : St Peter and St Paul, Headcorn

The parish church of St Peter & St Paul in Headcorn, Kent dates from the 13th century though an earlier church once existed on the same site. In the 14th century a three stage west tower was added, the nave and south aisle are also 14th century though the chancel is 13th. A south chapel also dates from the 13th century though was modified in later centuries.

The church is made from Bethersden marble. It was restored in the mid-1800s.

Churches (192) : St Stephen, Tonbridge

The church of St Stephen in Tonbridge, Kent was built between 1848 and 1853 close to the railway station which sparked the development of the south side of the town where the new church was built on land bought by the vicar Sir Charles Hardinge. 

The church was built by the Punnett family and was consecrated in 1851. The spire and north aisle were added in 1866. 

Kent Places (5) : Headcorn

The village of Headcorn is in central Kent, near to Maidstone. There has been settlement in the area since at the Palaeolithic with flint stone axes found north of the village that may be 250,000 years old. There is also evidence of farming from the Iron Age and Roman periods. In the Domesday Monachorum there is listed a church at Hedekaruna. This name may mean the bridge of Hydeca. The location was an important crossing over the river Beult. 

The village grew in the early medieval period, being granted a market and an annual fair in 1251. A Trinitarian priory was established in 1224, this lasted until 1538. The village grew wealthy due to a weaving industry established during the reign of King Edward III.

The parish church dedicated to St Peter and St Paul dates from at least the 13th century and was built on the site of an earlier church. Headcorn was an important transport hub during the age of stage coaches, the railway reached Headcorn in 1842. A nearby aerodrome was opened in the 1920s and remains open for Air Cadets and flight training.

Kent Places (4) : Leigh

Leigh is a village in the West of the county of Kent near to Sevenoaks and Tonbridge.

Leigh (which is pronounced Lye) was originally spelt Lyghe. The name is derived from the Anglo-Saxon leah or forest glade. Leigh has existed since at least the 11th century when it was recorded as a hamlet owned by the Lord of Tonbridge. The land around the village was acquired by Sir John de Pulteney in the 14th century. The land passed to the Sidney family in 1533, they held the land until the early 20th century.

Leigh grew in the 19th century, the railway arriving in 1842. A number of notable buildings were built in the village in the 19th century by the Baily and Morley families including the village's pub, the Fleur de Lis. This was originally a set of cottages built by the Baily family in 1855 but bought to become a pub in 1870.

The original core of the village is now a conservation area which contains 49 listed buildings or structures.

Kent Places (3) : Rochester

The town of Rochester is at the north of the county close to the coast on the river Medway. The town has Roman origins where it was known as Durobrivae. The name Rochester is derived from the pronunciation of the Romano-British name as Robrivis plus the latin for castle. By 1610 the name was written as Rochester.

The cathedral was founded in 604 though the earliest parts of the current building date from the early Norman period. Rochester castle dates from the 12th century and was involved in a couple of sieges in the following century. The castle was built due to the town's strategically important location near the mouth of the Thames. This meant the town could be in the front line of any conflict including as late as 1667 when the town by raided by a Dutch fleet in the Second Anglo-Dutch War. 

The Royal Navy later established one of it's major bases at nearby Chatham. The shipyard was a major employer in the area, it finally closed in 1984. The closure hit the local economy hard though has gradually recovered over the following years.

Kent Places (2) : Marden

The village of Marden is near the centre of the county, about thirteen kilometres south of Maidstone. The village has existed since Saxon times and was recorded in the Domesday Book as Maere Denn which is derived from the Old English for a clearing by the marsh. The name became Marden by the 17th century.

Being amid a prime fruit (especially apples) growing area of the country its no surprise Marden became known for this agricultural produce. The Marden Fruit Show Society began holding an annual show for fruit growers in 1933. This fruit show is nowadays called the National Fruit Show and is still held nearby (if not in Marden itself anymore).

The parish church dedicated to St Michael and All Angels dates from the 12th century and is next to Marden railway station which dates from 1842.

Kent Places (1) : Tonbridge

The market town of Tonbridge is in the south west of Kent. The town was listed in the Domesday Book as Tonebrige which may mean the bridge which belonged to the manor. The town was known as Tunbridge until 1870 when the name was changed by the Post Office to avoid confusion with nearby Tunbridge Wells!

A castle was built at Tonbridge in the 11th century. The gatehouse is still fairly well preserved as is the motte. The castle was used as an official residence by King Edward II and during the later medieval period the town was considered to be important strategically. King Henry III wanted it to become a walled town though the walls were never built, the castle defences being considered sufficient in the end.

The river Medway which flows through the town (indeed next to the castle) was made navigable as far as the town in the 1740s. This allowed for water borne trade from Maidstone and the Thames. Commercial traffic continued on the river until 1911. Tonbridge railway station opened in 1842 and remains a busy station to this day, a large goods yard and depot is next to the station. An interesting transport first for the town was that in 1896 the first ever speeding fine to a motorist was handed out, the motorist had been travelling 8 mp/h in a 2 mp/h zone!

Departing Headcorn

Off back to London.

Arriving at Marden

A Southeastern service arrives London bound.

Headcorn and Marden

Last Saturday, as i was in London anyway, i took advantage to visit a couple of places in Kent (a journey a bit too long to do from Birmingham). I went to the lovely villages of Headcorn and Marden, both had lovely churches and some quaint houses and other buildings. You can see my photos here.

Tonbridge and Leigh

Late last week i made a trip down to London for a couple of days, highlight of which was a trip down to Kent. I went to Tonbridge, having wanted to see the rail yard there for some time. I also enjoyed seeing the castle. I also made a short trip to nearby Leigh, a nice little Kent village. You can see my photos here.

Castles (16) : Rochester

Situated at a strategic location on the river Medway in Kent, Rochester castle was an early Norman motte and bailey castle built not long after the Conquest. The stone castle was built between 1087 and 1089CE. The large keep, which dominates the castle ruins today, was built in the 12th century after King Henry had granted the castle to the Archbishop of Canterbury.

The castle saw action a number of times in the Medieval period, including the First Barons War, the castle being besieged by King John. The last time the castle saw action was in 1381 during the Peasants' Revolt when it was captured and ransacked.

The castle decayed over the following centuries, parts of it being taken for re-use in buildings elsewhere. The castle was opened to the public in 1870 and since then has seen some restoration.