8 of the best villages near Staplehurst, Kent
Posted 4 November 2014 by
Keith OsborneStaplehurst is a small town in the centre of Kent on the A229 road between Maidstone and Hastings.
More than 6,000 residents benefit from a busy High Street of red brick and traditional half-tiled buildings. Here there are four churches, a large choice of independent shops, public houses and restaurants. The town is popular with commuters who enjoy regular services to London Charing Cross and Cannon Street, with journey times of around 65 minutes.
Surrounded by glorious Kent countryside, Staplehurst has many neighbouring villages and hamlets, offering idyllic settings and slower pace of life.
Frittenden
A small and unspoilt Kent village, Frittenden boasts many converted oast houses and white timbered cottages. The Bell and Jorrocks pub sits at the village crossroads, opposite a small garage and workshop, and a short distance from the Parish Church of St Mary and small primary school.
Marden
With its own railway station offering regular services to London, this delightful village has always been popular with commuters. Marden has a vibrant rural community, with a parish church, library and Heritage Centre. Sports enthusiasts can chose from the local hockey, football and cricket clubs, and there are two primary schools serving the village and surrounding hamlets.
Headcorn
Headcorn is a large village, four miles east of Staplehurst. The medieval High Street has a wide variety of independent shops, pubs, restaurants and historic buildings including the Cloth Hall, a reminder of the village’s past as a centre of the woolen trade. There is a supermarket and the new village hall is centre to this thriving community. A small airfield operates just outside the village, home to the only parachute and sky-diving club in Kent.
Sissinghurst
With evidence of Iron Age settlers, the village has been a staging post for travellers to the coast for centuries. Dating back to the 13th Century, Sissinghurst Castle was enlarged over time and is now famous for its gardens, designed in the 1930s by then owner Vita Sackville-West.
Sutton Valence
Set on a ridge overlooking the Vale of Kent, this village dates back to before the Battle of Hastings. Sutton Valence Boarding School sits to the north of the village, and the area boasts a number of quality golf courses.
Collier Street
The village of Collier Street lies seven miles west of Staplehurst. This rural village has a primary school, church, village hall and a small business estate. Although there are no longer any pubs in the village, there are two within a mile at nearby Benover and Claygate.
Curtisden Green
Curtisden Green is a small hamlet four miles south-west of Staplehurst, and is home to Bethany School, an independent boarding school. It's narrow, tree lined lanes boast a handful of properties that enjoy great views out across the Kent countryside and offer a peaceful lifestyle.
Linton
With a population of around 500, Linton lies on top of a steep hill, offering panoramic views of the Weald of Kent and into Sussex to the west. Village life centres on the church, school, village hall and The Bull public house. Situated midway between Staplehurst and the county town of Maidstone, Linton lies in a conservation area surrounded by rolling countryside.
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