Lenham

Lenham is a market village and civil parish in Kent situated on the southern edge of the North Downs, halfway between Maidstone and Ashford. The picturesque square in the village has two public houses (one of which is a hotel), a couple of restaurants, and a tea-room. Lenham has a population of 3,370 according to the 2011 Census.[2]

Lenham

High Street
Lenham
Location within Kent
Area23.4906 km2 (9.0698 sq mi)
Population3,370 (2011)[1]
• Density143/km2 (370/sq mi)
OS grid referenceTQ585395
Civil parish
  • Lenham
District
Shire county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townMaidstone
Postcode districtME17
PoliceKent
FireKent
AmbulanceSouth East Coast
St. Mary's Church, Lenham
Lenham Cross on the Downs
Church Square, Lenham

Lenham railway station is on the Maidstone East Line.

The village is at the main source of the Great Stour and the Stour Valley Walk starts here, heading to Ashford and on to Canterbury and the English Channel near Sandwich. It is also the source of the River Len, which flows in a westerly direction to join the River Medway at Maidstone.

History

Mentioned in the Domesday Book, Lenham market dates back to 1088, when the village was an important crossroad settlement. The manor of Lenham belonged to St Augustine's Abbey, Canterbury, until the dissolution of the monasteries when it reverted to the Crown. Queen Elizabeth I awarded the manor to her chief courtier, William Cecil, Lord Burleigh. It then passed through ownership of the Wilford, Montagu, Hamilton and Best families.[3]

Technically the fact that Lenham is allowed a market, makes it a town but the community have always desired to maintain its village status.

The High Street has a number of listed buildings.[4]

Mary Honywood was born in Lenham. When she died in Essex at the age of 93, she had 367 living descendants.

The Pilgrims' Way/North Downs Way passes along the downland ridge to the north of Lenham. Between this ridge and the village lies a 200-foot (61 m) chalk cross carved into the scarp slope. First constructed in 1922, to remember those who fell in the Great War, and fully restored in 1994, the cross now commemorates the dead of both world wars. To avoid its use as a navigation aid by the Luftwaffe, the cross was filled in between 1939 and May 1945.

On 27 August 1950, Lenham, along with the village of Harvel, was one of the signal receiving points (between Calais and London) of the first-ever live television pictures from the continent.

In 2020, Co-op staff member, Jo Bate, won Sales Assistant of the Year for her excellent service during the Covid-19 pandemic[5]

Amenities

The parish church of St Mary was rebuilt in the 14th century after fire had destroyed its predecessor.[6] It and the nearby Tithe Barn are Grade I listed buildings.[7][8] From 1876 to his death in 1903, the vicar of the church was Charles Nepean,[9] who played for Oxford University A.F.C. in the 1874 FA Cup Final.[10] Nepean also played cricket for Middlesex.[11]

There is a primary school, Lenham Primary and a secondary school, The Lenham School, at Lenham. A pair of cottages in Lenham had to be demolished to make way for the Channel Tunnel Rail Link (Maidstone Line). They were dismantled and re-erected at the Museum of Kent Life, Sandling.

A local kit car firm GKD Sports Cars has its workshop based in Lenham and its main base in Boughton Monchelsea.

Also in Lenham is a pharmacy, famous as the discovery site of a sixth century Saxon warrior body and weapons.

  • heritagelenham dedicated to the recording of Lenham's cultural heritage
  • Hill figure
  • Lenham Meadows Trust is a charitable organisation which works to protect the open spaces around the village.
  • Friend's of St Mary's is a charity who raise funds to maintain the Grade 1 listed church but also to preserve its beauty for future generations.
  • Lenham Film Club operates a monthly film club in the Lenham Community Centre. The shows are at 7.30pm on the 2nd Friday of the month with occasional matinee performances too.

References
  1. UK Census (2011). "Local Area Report – Lenham Parish (1170214815)". Nomis. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 8 February 2018.
  2. "Civil Parish population 2011". Neighbourhood Statistics. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 16 September 2016.
  3. Bristow, W. "Parishes: Lenham Pages 415-445 The History and Topographical Survey of the County of Kent: Volume 5. Originally published by W Bristow, Canterbury, 1798". British History Online. Retrieved 16 August 2020.
  4. "Listed Buildings in Lenham, Kent, England". British Listed Buildings.
  5. Fortune2020-09-29T11:35:00+01:00, Aidan. "The Convenience Awards 2020 winners to be revealed this evening". The Grocer. Retrieved 26 January 2021.
  6. "Lenham - St. Mary's Church". Kent Resources. 2001. Archived from the original on 19 March 2012. Retrieved 18 February 2011.
  7. Historic England. "Church of St Mary (1086103)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 16 October 2011.
  8. Historic England. "Barn circa 40 yards North West of Court Lodge (1116543)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 16 October 2011.
  9. "Rev. C. E. B. Nepean". Obituaries in 1903. Wisden. Retrieved 18 February 2011.
  10. "The Association Challenge Cup". The Times (27951). London. 16 March 1874. col E, p. 5.
  11. "Charles Edward Burroughs Nepean". Middlesex cricketers. Cricket Archive. Retrieved 18 February 2011.

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