Smarden

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 very wide nave is sometimes known as "The Barn of Kent".

Smarden borders the villages of Pluckley and Egerton to the North, Bethersden to the West, Headcorn to the East 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.

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.

During the Second World War, houses in Smarden, such as Gilletts, were used to relocate evacuees from London in.

External links

The Smarden Parish Guide This handy site gives some interesting historical and local information, pictures of the village; and provides links to, and information about businesses and societies within the village.