Appledore is a village and

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...

in the Ashford District of

Kent Kent is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Essex across the Thames Estuary to the north, the Strait of Dover to the south-east, East Sussex to the south-west, Surrey to the west, and Gr ...

, England. The village centre is on the northern edge of the

Romney Marsh Romney Marsh is a sparsely populated wetland area in the counties of Kent and East Sussex in the south-east of England. It covers about . The Marsh has been in use for centuries, though its inhabitants commonly suffered from malaria until the ...

, 12 miles (19 km) south-west of Ashford

town A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city. The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...

. The northerly part of this village is Appledore Heath.

History

The name is first recorded in the 10th century as ''apuldre'' (meaning apple tree in

Old English Old English ( or , or ), or Anglo-Saxon, is the earliest recorded form of the English language, spoken in England and southern and eastern Scotland in the Early Middle Ages. It developed from the languages brought to Great Britain by Anglo-S ...

). Alternatively, a Brythonic origin from or connected with "dwr/dor", meaning water, has been posited. Appledore was once a

port A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as Hamburg, Manch ...

on the

estuary An estuary is a partially enclosed coastal body of brackish water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea. Estuaries form a transition zone between river environments and maritime enviro ...

of the River Rother. Famously, the greater part of the Danish army (280 ships - 5000 men) wintered at Appledore in 892–93, before moving into Wessex and suffering defeat at the hands of the Saxons led by

King Alfred Alfred the Great ( ; – 26 October 899) was King of the West Saxons from 871 to 886, and King of the Anglo-Saxons from 886 until his death in 899. He was the youngest son of King Æthelwulf and his first wife Osburh, who both died when ...

's son

Edward the Elder Edward the Elder (870s?17 July 924) was King of the Anglo-Saxons from 899 until his death in 924. He was the elder son of Alfred the Great and his wife Ealhswith. When Edward succeeded to the throne, he had to defeat a challenge from his cousi ...

Farnham Farnham is a market town and civil parish in Surrey, England, around southwest of London. It is in the Borough of Waverley, close to the county border with Hampshire. The town is on the north branch of the River Wey, a tributary of the ...

in Surrey. The defeated Danes fell back to Benfleet in Essex where they were again defeated in battle. The importance of Appledore as a port diminished suddenly in the 13th-century when two great storms - the first on 4 February 1287 and again sometime the following December – caused the river Rother to change its course; the village street now leads down to the

Royal Military Canal The Royal Military Canal is a canal running for between Seabrook near Folkestone and Cliff End near Hastings, following the old cliff line bordering Romney Marsh, which was constructed as part of British anti-invasion preparations of 1803–0 ...

. A

French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...

raid in 1380 resulted in the burning of the church: it was later rebuilt. The village was permitted to hold a market in the main street by

Edward II Edward II (25 April 1284 – 21 September 1327), also known as Edward of Caernarfon or Caernarvon, was King of England from 1307 until he was deposed in January 1327. The fourth son of Edward I, Edward became the heir to the throne follo ...

. In 1804, when there was threat of invasion by

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...

the

was built: Appledore stands on its northern bank. The ''

Rhee Wall file:Rhee Wall, Callington Court Farm - geograph.org.uk - 394176.jpg, 280px, Looking south-east along the Rhee Wall, about half a mile south-east of Brenzett. The right-hand side is occupied by the main road, the A259; the width of the Rhee Wall e ...

'', a 13th-century waterway, was built to carry silt away from the eastern part of the

; it runs from Appledore to

New Romney New Romney is a market town in Kent, England, on the edge of Romney Marsh, an area of flat, rich agricultural land reclaimed from the sea after the harbour began to silt up. New Romney, one of the original Cinque Ports, was once a sea port, w ...

Religion

The

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with the fall of the West ...

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the Church (building), church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in com ...

is dedicated to Saints Peter and Paul.

Transport

The B2080 is a local road connecting Appledore with

Tenterden Tenterden is a town and civil parish in the Borough of Ashford in Kent, England. The 2021 census published the population of the parish to be 8,186. Geography Tenterden is connected to Kent's county town of Maidstone by the A262 road an ...

and

Brenzett Brenzett ( ) is a village and civil parish in the Folkestone and Hythe District of Kent, England. The village lies on the Romney Marsh, three miles (4.8 km) west of New Romney. The population of the civil parish includes the hamlet of Sna ...

, where it meets the

A259 The A259 is a road on the south coast of England passing through Hampshire, West Sussex, East Sussex, and Kent, and is the longest Zone 2 A road in Great Britain. The main part of the road connects Brighton, Peacehaven, Eastbourne, Hastings, ...

South Coast Trunk Road. The Royal Military Road follows the canal southwest from Appledore to Rye. The Marshlink Line railway line runs between and via Appledore railway station, which is around from the village. The line reduces from dual to single track beyond the station towards and Hastings.

Education

St Augustine of Canterbury Catholic Primary School is located in the area.

Parkwood

Parkwood is an woodland east south east of

near Appledore. A car park is along the Woodchurch Road, heading north from Appledore towards

Brattle :''There is another Woodchurch in Kent, a hamlet in the Manston civil parish within the Thanet district.'' Woodchurch is a Kent village, the largest civil parish in the Borough of Ashford. It is centred from the market town of Ashford and fr ...

. It is managed by

Kent County Council Kent County Council is a county council that governs the non-metropolitan county of Kent in England. The non-metropolitan county is smaller than the ceremonial county, which additionally includes the Unitary authorities of England, unitary auth ...

's Country Parks service. It is noted for its bluebells in spring and for

nightingale The common nightingale, rufous nightingale or simply nightingale (''Luscinia megarhynchos''), is a small passerine bird which is best known for its powerful and beautiful song. It was formerly classed as a member of the thrush family Turdidae, ...

s. There are woodland walks and panoramic views over Appledore and

es. The woodland is frequently coppiced for various timber uses. Including

oak An oak is a hardwood tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' of the beech family. They have spirally arranged leaves, often with lobed edges, and a nut called an acorn, borne within a cup. The genus is widely distributed in the Northern Hemisp ...

thinnings being used in

Shorne Woods Country Park Shorne Woods Country Park is located between Strood and Gravesend, in the English county of Kent. It was once part of a large estate, later passed to the county council to be used as a country park. History This park was once part of the lar ...

's new visitor centre, as the window and roof joinery. The wood, is surrounded by three other woods, Great Heron Wood (to the North), Little Heron Wood (to the East) and Butness Wood (further to the East).

In popular culture

Appledore was the setting for

A. A. Milne Alan Alexander Milne (; 18 January 1882 – 31 January 1956) was an English writer best known for his books about the teddy bear Winnie-the-Pooh, as well as children's poetry. Milne was primarily a playwright before the huge success of Winnie-th ...

's famous verse poem, "The Knight Whose Armour Didn't Squeak". Milne lived west in Hartfield, Sussex, Hartfield, Sussex. The fictional village of Plummergen, in the "Miss Seeton" series of crime novels by Heron Carvic, is based on Appledore. Appledore features in the series The Darling Buds of May (TV series), Darling Buds of May.

Notable inhabitants

* Philip Chute, a standard-bearer to Henry VIII was born and raised in Appledore.

References

External links

* *
Appledore village website
{{authority control Villages in Kent Villages in the Borough of Ashford Civil parishes in Ashford, Kent