Hamstreet

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Hamstreet
Coordinates: 51.0656° N 0.8626° E
Population	2000
OS grid reference	TR005335
Parish	Orlestone and Warehorne
District	Ashford
Shire county	Kent
Region	South East
Constituent country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	TONBRIDGE
Postcode district	TN26
Dial code	01233
Police	Kent
Fire	Kent
Ambulance	South East Coast
UK Parliament	Ashford
European Parliament	South East England
List of places

Hamstreet is a village in Kent, in south-east England.

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!

[edit] History

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.

[edit] Countryside

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)
• The Royal Military Canal Path

The area is also popular with cyclists, as Romney Marsh to the south is completely flat!

[edit] Amenities

Hamstreet has:

• A railway station on the Marshlink Line
• Post office/general store
• Various shops (including hardware stores/cycle shop/antiques)
• A doctor's surgery
• A dentist
• A village primary school
• A hairdresser
• A garage
• A restaurant
• A garden centre
• A pub at the village crossroads called the Duke's Head

The village has a country fayre and transport festival every June and is twinned with Therouanne in Northern France.

view • talk • edit  The town of Ashford in Kent, South East England with the surrounding suburbs, villages, towns and parishes:
Aldington • Appledore • Bethersden • Biddenden • Bilsington • Bilting • Bonnington • Boughton Aluph • Boughton Aluph and Eastwell • Boughton Lees • Brabourne • Brabourne Lees • Brook • Challock • Charing • Cheeseman's Green • Chilham • Chilmington Green • Crundale • Eastwell • Ebony • Egerton • Evegate • Godinton • Godmersham • Great Chart • Great Chart with Singleton • Hamstreet • Hastingleigh • High Halden • Hinxhill • Hothfield • Isle of Oxney • Kenardington • Kennington • Kingsnorth • Little Chart • Mersham • Molash • Newenden • Newtown • Orlestone • Park Farm • Pluckley • Rolvenden • Rolvenden Layne • Ruckinge • Sellindge • Sevington • Shadoxhurst • Singleton • Smarden • Smeeth • Stanhope • Stonebridge Green • Stone-cum-Ebony • Stone in Oxney • Snave • Tenterden • Warehorne • Westwell • Willesborough • Wittersham • Woodchurch • Wye • Wye with Hinxhill
The borough of Ashford List of places in Kent