Borough Green is situated in the borough of
Tonbridge and Malling
Tonbridge and Malling is a local government district with borough status in Kent, England. Tonbridge is the largest settlement but the authority is based in the modern development of Kings Hill.
Geography
Tonbridge and Malling Borough cover ...
in
Kent
Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...
, England. The central area is situated on the
A25 road
The A25 road is an east–west main road in the South-East of England. Its carries traffic east from Guildford, Surrey, eastward through Surrey and into mid-west Kent, to the town of Sevenoaks, and then on to Wrotham Heath where it connects wit ...
between
Maidstone
Maidstone is the largest town in Kent, England, of which it is the county town. Maidstone is historically important and lies 32 miles (51 km) east-south-east of London. The River Medway runs through the centre of the town, linking it wi ...
and
Sevenoaks
Sevenoaks is a town in Kent with a population of 29,506 situated south-east of London, England. Also classified as a civil parish, Sevenoaks is served by a commuter main line railway into London. Sevenoaks is from Charing Cross, the traditio ...
, with the M26 motorway running through the centre dividing Wrotham and Borough Green.
History
Roman Remains
Roman
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
*Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
*Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...
cinerary urns were first found in Barrow Field off Staley's Road in 1839 but were reburied and lost to history.
[Borough Green Past and Present by Frank G Bangay 1994]In the 1880s there was a much more important find on location north of the
railway station
Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a prep ...
where sand was being excavated. In 1898 a local archaeologist Benjamin Harrison of
Ightham
Ightham ( ) is a village in Kent, England, located approximately four miles east of Sevenoaks and six miles north of Tonbridge. The parish includes the hamlet of Ivy Hatch.
Ightham is famous for the nearby medieval manor of Ightham Mote ( Natio ...
persuaded the owners to stop destroying them. He called in George Payne who identified them as Roman. There was a Roman cemetery consisting of rows of cinerary urns six feet apart and two feet deep. The burials date from around the year 100 CE.
Historical Inns
The first record of this name was in 1575, when it appears as Borrowe Grene. Middle English grene means village green The name itself is much older. It is not known if this from Old English ''burh'' ‘manor, borough' or from ''beorg'' 'hill, mound'.
The name of the community describes what it originally was – a green to which the people of the area went for sports and games.
There is also a view that "borough", which predates any borough council in the area, relates to the word barrow, possibly referring to the Roman remains near the station site.
Its location at a crossroads with the old route from
Gravesend to
Hastings
Hastings () is a large seaside town and borough in East Sussex on the south coast of England,
east to the county town of Lewes and south east of London. The town gives its name to the Battle of Hastings, which took place to the north-west ...
meant that inns were gradually opened. The ''Red Lion'', originally the "White Bear", first mentioned in 1586, is now closed. The 1592 ''Black Bull'' became the ''Black Horse'', then ''The Black Horse and Hooden'', and recently ''The Black Horse'' again. ''The Bull'' of 1753 survives, but the "Red Lion", ''Fox and Hounds'' (1837) and ''The Rock'' (1860) have been turned into private housing. The Red Lion building still exists as part of the Red Lion Square housing development. The Fox and Hounds and the Rock were demolished to make way for Foxlea and Tavern Close respectively. The 1878 ''Railway Hotel'', later ''The Henry Simmonds'', is now a
Sainsbury's Local
Sainsbury's Local (a trading name of Sainsbury's Supermarkets Ltd) is a chain of 770 convenience shops operated by the UK's second largest supermarket chain Sainsbury's.
History
In 1998, Sainsbury's piloted its first Local shop in Hammersmith ...
food store.
![Red Lion pub in Borough Green](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6d/Red_Lion_pub_in_Borough_Green.jpg)
Nineteenth Century
![Bridge House](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/86/Bridge_House.jpg)
In Borough Green there were 360 residents in 1841, 241 in 1861, 232 in 1871. The village expanded after the railway opened and in 1891 there were 682 inhabitants.
The
London, Chatham and Dover Railway
The London, Chatham and Dover Railway (LCDR or LC&DR) was a railway company in south-eastern England created on 1 August 1859, when the East Kent Railway was given parliamentary approval to change its name. Its lines ran through London and no ...
opened a line to Maidstone on 1 June 1874, and a station named ''Wrotham and Borough Green'' was built. Later the names were reversed to
Borough Green and Wrotham, in line with the position of the station within Borough Green, and the fact that Borough Green had outgrown Wrotham.
An infant school was built on the direction of the local school board in 1875 to the design of architect Robert Wheeler.
[A Friendly Glimpse by Frank G Bangay 1989]
Western Road was planned in 1877 after the sale of 56 acres of land by the Tomlyn family between the High Street and Fairfield.
Town gas was provided by the Wrotham and Borough Green Gas Co from 1880 and in 1904 was taken over by the Mid Kent Gas Light and Coke Company.
The
River Bourne
flows through the southern part of the parish. It once powered a paper mill at Basted.
Recent History
Piped water came from the Mid Kent Water Co. in 1900. Kent Electric Power Co. brought electricity in 1930.
Governance
There are three tiers of local government covering Borough Green, at
parish
A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one o ...
,
district
A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or county, counties, several municipality, municipa ...
and
county
A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposes Chambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...
level: Borough Green Parish Council,
Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council
Tonbridge ( ) is a market town in Kent, England, on the River Medway, north of Royal Tunbridge Wells, south west of Maidstone and south east of London. In the administrative borough of Tonbridge and Malling, it had an estimated population ...
and
Kent County Council. The parish council meets at the village hall on High Street.
Borough Green was historically part of the parish of
Wrotham
Wrotham ( ) is a village on the Pilgrims' Way in Kent, England, at the foot of the North Downs. It is north of Borough Green and approximately east of Sevenoaks. It is between the M20 and M26 motorways.
History
The name first occurs as ''U ...
. In 1863 the parish was made a
local government district
The districts of England (also known as local authority districts or local government districts to distinguish from unofficial city districts) are a level of subnational division of England used for the purposes of local government. As the st ...
, governed by a local board. Such districts were reconstituted as
urban districts in 1894. Although named after Wrotham, the urban district council was always based in Borough Green, which was growing to become the largest settlement in the parish following the opening of the railway station in 1874. The council met at the Railway Hotel on Wrotham Road (now Sainsbury's) until 1902, then at a converted house it leased at 2 Sevenoaks Road from 1902 until 1924, before building its own headquarters at 16–18 Maidstone Road in 1924. Wrotham Urban District was abolished in 1934, with the area being absorbed into
Malling Rural District Malling was a rural district in Kent, England which covered West Malling, East Malling, Snodland, Larkfield, Borough Green
Borough Green is situated in the borough of Tonbridge and Malling in Kent, England. The central area is situated on the A ...
and divided into the parishes of Borough Green (which also took some territory from
Ightham
Ightham ( ) is a village in Kent, England, located approximately four miles east of Sevenoaks and six miles north of Tonbridge. The parish includes the hamlet of Ivy Hatch.
Ightham is famous for the nearby medieval manor of Ightham Mote ( Natio ...
),
Platt,
Plaxtol
Plaxtol is a village and civil parish in the borough of Tonbridge and Malling in Kent, England. The village is located around north of Tonbridge and the same distance east of Sevenoaks. In the 2011 Census, the parish had a population of 1,117.
...
and Wrotham. Malling Rural District in turn was abolished in 1974 to become part of Tonbridge and Malling.
Sports
Borough Green is home to the
British Racing and Sports Car Club
The British Racing and Sports Car Club (BRSCC) is one of the major organisers of motorsport events in the United Kingdom. The club currently runs around forty track racing championships for cars as diverse as Caterham, BMWs and Mazda. Formed in B ...
, one of the major organisers of motorsports events in the United Kingdom. The village's main football team is Potters Football Club of the Sevenoaks & District Premier Division, which fields one men's team. It has close ties with Borough Green Junior Football Club, which is also located in the village.
Churches
Several denominations have places of worship in Borough Green:
*Anglican –
Church of England
The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britai ...
: The Church of the Good Shepherd, Quarry Hill Road. Before 1875 Church of England members walked to Wrotham, Ightham, Platt or Plaxtol to go to Church. From that year services were held in the new Church of England Infants School. The foundation stone of the Church of the Good Shepherd was laid by Emmeline St. Tour, Countess Torrington on 9 January 1906 and consecrated by the
Bishop of Rochester,
Dr John Harmer on 5 July 1906. The Architects were Monckton and Gillespie.
Borough Green did not become a separate Church of England parish until 1973. Before that the village was divided into three church parishes. Most of the village was in Wrotham parish. The part in Ightham parish started at the junction of Rock road and the A25 and included everything West of Rock Road. After 1843 part of the village was in Platt parish and the Black Horse Inn marked the boundary.
*Baptist –
Association of Grace Baptist Churches (South East): Borough Green Baptist Church, High Street. The land the chapel now stands on was purchased in 1816. Described as ‘wasteland’, it was sold as an outcome of the Enclosure Acts passed in 1814. It was purchased for twenty two pounds and ten shillings”. The chapel was opened for divine wor- ship in the spring of 1817.
![Borough Green Baptist Church side view 01](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/ad/Borough_Green_Baptist_Church_side_view_01.jpg)
*
Roman Catholic
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
* Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
* Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...
– St Joseph's, Western Road. The old village hall was built on this site in 1927. It was purchased by the
diocese of Southwark
The Diocese of Southwark is one of the 42 dioceses of the Church of England, part of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The diocese forms part of the Province of Canterbury in England. It was created on 1 May 1905 from part of the ancient Dio ...
in 1965. In 2017 a purpose-built church was officially opened on the site of the old building which had been demolished to make way for the new church.
Amenities
The village and nearby communities are served by Borough Green Primary School.
The Medical Centre on Quarry Hill Road, opened in 1993 provides GP care.
The first recorded practitioners in Borough Green were Dr AA Lipscomb and the Walker family.
The library was started in 1922 at the council school. it moved several times and finally to its purpose built building in 1977.
The Fire Brigade was founded in 1934. The modern Fire Station in Western Road was opened in 1964.
The Village Hall was built in 1964-65.
It serves as a polling station during elections.
![High Street Borough Green today](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7d/High_Street_Borough_Green_today.jpg)
Borough Green had branches of two nationwide retail banks, both of which closed in 2017. The former NatWest building on High Street is now
Costa Coffee
Costa Coffee is a British coffeehouse chain with headquarters in Dunstable, England.
Costa Coffee was founded in London in 1971 by Sergio Costa as a wholesale operation supplying roasted coffee to caterers and specialist Italian coffee shops. I ...
. There are branches of
the Co-op,
Sainsbury's Local
Sainsbury's Local (a trading name of Sainsbury's Supermarkets Ltd) is a chain of 770 convenience shops operated by the UK's second largest supermarket chain Sainsbury's.
History
In 1998, Sainsbury's piloted its first Local shop in Hammersmith ...
and
Nisa. Borough Green Post Office on the High Street is located in Nisa. There are several independent retailers and teashops.
Notable people
*
Catherine Crowe (1803–1876), novelist and playwright, was born Catherine Ann Stevens in Borough Green.
*
Richard Dixon, a chemist who has done notable work on the thermal and optical properties of matter, was born in Borough Green on 25 December 1930.
*
Richard Hearne
Richard Lewis Hearne (30 January 1908 – 23 August 1979) was an English actor, comedian, producer and writer. He is best remembered for his stage and television character Mr Pastry.
Career
Hearne was born in Norwich, Norfolk, in 1908, the son ...
(1908–1979), actor, comedian and writer, most famous as Mr Pastry a comical children's character, lived at Platt's Farm, Long Mill Lane in nearby St Mary Platt from the 1940s.
[''Kent and Sussex Courier'', 15 October 2010]
Retrieved 13 March 2014.
*
Eva McLaren (1852–1921), suffragist and writer, died at
Great Comp Cottage in Borough Green.
*
Denton Welch
Maurice Denton Welch (29 March 1915 – 30 December 1948) was a British writer and painter, admired for his vivid prose and precise descriptions.
Life
Welch was born in Shanghai, China, to Arthur Joseph Welch, a wealthy British rubber merchant, ...
(1915-1948) author and artist
References
*''The Kent Village Book'', Alan Bignell, published by Countryside Books in 1986
*''Borough Green Primary School website'':
ww.bgpschool.kent.sch.uk/ Retrieved 8 September 2018*''Borough Green Past and Present'', published in 1994 and available in the Borough Green branch of Kent County Council Library
External links
Borough Green community website
{{authority control
Villages in Kent
Civil parishes in Kent
Tonbridge and Malling