| Farningham | |
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Farningham
Farningham shown within Kent |
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| Population | 1,289 (2001) |
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| OS grid reference | TQ5466 |
| Parish | Farningham |
| District | Sevenoaks |
| Shire county | Kent |
| Region | South East |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | Dartford |
| Postcode district | DA4 |
| Dialling code | 01322 |
| Police | Kent |
| Fire | Kent |
| Ambulance | South East Coast |
| EU Parliament | South East England |
| UK Parliament | Sevenoaks |
| List of places: UK • England • Kent | |
Farningham is a village and civil parish in the Sevenoaks District of Kent in England. It is located on the River Darent, south of Dartford, and has a population of 1,289.[1] The M20 motorway and the A20 road both pass through the parish.
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Farningham is believed to be home to Neolithic history – flint and other tools have been discovered and can be found in the Dartford Museum. The Romans occupied the general area after their invasion in the 1st century and, along with large evidence of habitation down the road in Lullingstone, there is also evidence of Roman habitation in Farningham. Three farmhouses and three villas have been unearthed. Charles Dickens was a visitor during his time for the trout fishing that the Darent provided.
The parish church is dedicated to St Peter and St Paul.
Farningham is situated upon the historic route of the A20, Kent's second major road between the capital and the channel ports. The village itself, with its narrow bridge over the River Darenth, and its narrow streets, was bypassed to the north east in the 1930s (?). The A225 runs along the Darenth valley and intersects the A20 at the village. The construction of the of first sections of the M25 motorway and M20 motorway in the late 1970s bypassed the village again.
The Chatham Main Line was built by the London, Chatham and Dover Railway roughly 2 km north of the village, where Farningham Road station is located. To the south in Eynsford, the Swanley to Ashford (via Maidstone East) Line runs (also built by the London, Chatham and Dover Railway), where there is Eynsford station. The two lines meet to the west in nearby Swanley at Swanley station. Regular train services operate to the London termini of Victoria and Blackfriars.
Farningham had a watermill, powered by the River Darent, the building of which survives. There was a windmill at Chimham's Farm, which was moved in 1880 to West Kingsdown, where it still stands.