Smarden
| Smarden | |
  Smarden Smarden shown within Kent | |
| Population | 1,222 [1] |
|---|---|
| OS grid reference | TQ880243 |
| Civil parish | Smarden |
| District | Ashford |
| Shire county | Kent |
| Region | South East |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | TONBRIDGE |
| Postcode district | TN27 |
| Dialling code | 01233 |
| Police | Kent |
| Fire | Kent |
| Ambulance | South East Coast |
| EU Parliament | South East England |
| UK Parliament | Ashford |
Smarden is a civil parish and village, west of Ashford in Kent, South East England.
The village has The Church of St. Michael which because of its high scissor beam roof is sometimes known as "The Barn of Kent".[2]
Smarden borders the villages of Pluckley and Egerton to the North, Bethersden to the East, Headcorn to the West and Biddenden to the South.
Smarden has a thriving village 'Post Office and Stores', Butcher's shop, an Art Gallery and three Public houses; The Flying Horse, The Bell and The Chequers.
History
The earliest known date for Smarden is 1205, when Adam de Essex became the Rector of the parish. The area was covered by the forest of Anderida and when clearings were made, the River Beult (a tributary of the River Medway) formed the drainage channel. The local woollen industry was encouraged by King Edward III who brought weaver craftsmen over from Flanders to create what was to become one of England's biggest industries. Edward in recognition granted the village a Royal Charter in 1333 permitting them to hold a weekly market and an annual fair thus elevating the status from village to "Town". Elizabeth I, en route from Sissinghurst Castle to Boughton Malherbe in 1576, was so impressed by what she saw and ratified the previously granted Charter. A copy of the Charter hangs in the village church.[3]
Organisations
Smarden has a number of community organisations/interest groups
Including Parish Council, PCC (Parocial Church Council), FOSC (Friend's of Smarden Church), Charter Hall, WI, Meals On Wheels, Volunteer Car Scheme, Smarden Youth, Cricket, Football, Good Neighbour Scheme, Local History Society, Primary School, Royal British Legion, Pre School, Gardeners Society, Baby and Toddler Group, The Smarden Players), Conservative Association
Houses
Smarden became very prosperous and some fine houses were built in the 15th and 16th centuries, many of which remain today. The Cloth Hall (1430) is an example of a fifteenth-century yeoman's timber hall house. Although built as a farm it became the central clearing warehouse for the local cloth industry; the broad-cloth would have been taken from there to the port of Faversham.[3]
Jubilee House on Pluckley Road is a Grade II listed house built c. 1772. [4]
During the Second World War, houses in Smarden, such as Gilletts, were used to relocate evacuees from London in.[5]
Notable people
Dorothy Crisp (1906–1987) English author, political writer, publisher and one time chairman of the British Housewives' League lived in Smarden. She married John Becker in London during the Spring of 1945, but retained her maiden name. They moved to the village where she gave birth to a daughter (Elizabeth) in 1946 and a son (John) in 1948. After the death of her husband, she moved to live in Sussex during the 1950s and 1960s and later Oxford. She died in London 1987.
References
- ↑ Ashford Borough Council Census 2001
- ↑ Kent Resources
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 The Smarden Parish Guide
- ↑ "Jubilee House, Smarden". Daily Telegraph.
- ↑ One of Many: An evacuee's story
External links
Media related to Smarden at Wikimedia Commons
 |
Headcorn | Boughton Malherbe | Pluckley | |
| Frittenden |  |
Great Chart | ||
| ||||
 | ||||
| Biddenden | High Halden | Bethersden |
