Doddington is a village and civil parish in the district of

Swale Swale or Swales may refer to: Topography * Swale (landform), a low tract of land ** Bioswale, landform designed to remove silt and pollution ** Swales, found in the formation of Hummocky cross-stratification Geography * River Swale, in North ...

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 England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. The Syndale Valley shelters the central part in the

Kent Downs The Kent Downs is an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) in Kent, England. They are the eastern half of the North Downs and stretch from the London/ Surrey borders to the White Cliffs of Dover, including a small section of the London Boroug ...

Area of outstanding natural beauty An Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB; , AHNE) is an area of countryside in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, that has been designated for conservation due to its significant landscape value. Areas are designated in recognition of thei ...

. Today the village is notable for Doddington Place Gardens, for its remarkably well kept buildings and its house prices show higher prices than the

home counties The home counties are the counties of England that surround London. The counties are not precisely defined but Buckinghamshire and Surrey are usually included in definitions and Berkshire, Essex, Hertfordshire and Kent are also often inc ...

average.

History

Within the parish at

Sharsted Court Sharsted Court is a grade I listed manor house set in woodland near the village of Newnham, Kent (in the parish of Doddington) England. A house or lodge has been recorded at the site since the time of Odo de Bayeux in 1080, however the present ...

, earthworks excavated were believed remains of an

Iron Age The Iron Age is the final epoch of the three-age division of the prehistory and protohistory of humanity. It was preceded by the Stone Age (Paleolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic) and the Bronze Age (Chalcolithic). The concept has been mostly appl ...

Belgic Belgic may refer to: * an adjective referring to the Belgae, an ancient confederation of tribes * a rarer adjective referring to the Low Countries or to Belgium * , several ships with the name * Belgic ware Aylesford-Swarling pottery is part of a ...

Fort (100 BC – 43 AD). However the current village settlement dates from the 11th century. Of particular note is Doddington Church with the unusual dedication of "The (decollation)

Beheading of St. John the Baptist The beheading of John the Baptist, also known as the decollation of Saint John the Baptist or the beheading of the Forerunner, is a biblical event commemorated as a holy day by various Christian churches. According to the New Testament, Hero ...

". The dedication dates from at least 1467 when it is referenced in a will. DoddingtonChurch Sept2006

Other notable buildings within the parish are: ''Doddington Place'' built in 1870 for the Croft family (of 'Croft original sherry' fame) who owned it until 1906 when the Jeffreys and Oldfied families jointly purchased it. It is still owned by the Oldfield family and the Doddington Place Gardens are open to the public and have achieved listed status; in its grounds are the Place, a much-altered house, Park House and Park Cottage, also listed with fascinating history, as Grade II.

Attractions and amenities

Within the parish just to the north east is

, a

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

Wealden

hall house The hall house is a type of vernacular house traditional in many parts of England, Wales, Ireland and lowland Scotland, as well as northern Europe, during the Middle Ages, centring on a hall. Usually timber-framed, some high status examples wer ...

distinctive of this area, the

Weald The Weald () is an area of South East England between the parallel chalk escarpments of the North and the South Downs. It crosses the counties of Hampshire, Surrey, Sussex and Kent. It has three separate parts: the sandstone "High Weald" in the ...

, however a building on the site dates from at least 1080; today a large romantic rambling manor house due to the many additions and alterations over the centuries. It is owned by former

Wimbledon Wimbledon most often refers to: * Wimbledon, London, a district of southwest London * Wimbledon Championships, the oldest tennis tournament in the world and one of the four Grand Slam championships Wimbledon may also refer to: Places London * ...

champion

Virginia Wade Sarah Virginia Wade (born 10 July 1945) is a British former professional tennis player. She won three Major tennis singles championships and four major doubles championships, and is the only British woman in history to have won titles at all f ...

. The village has an award-winning butchers shop, Doughty's, owned by the Doughty family since 1919 (and a butchers shop since 1789), with its own slaughter house. It also has a garage (Doddington Service Station) for car repairs/servicing as well as petrol and a small shop, one pub (The Chequers Inn) which also acts as a post office, and camping and bed and breakfast (Palace Farm & The Old Vicarage). Sharsted Sports Club plays home to

Little Sharsted FC The Kent County League is a football competition based in Kent, England. The league has seven senior divisions – a Premier Division, Division One East and West, Division Two East and West and Division Three East and West. It sits below the So ...

, who are known for their attractive style of play, and Sharsted Sports FC. The village has a strong community spirit with numerous clubs and groups, which include as of 2013: An allotments association, amateur dramatics (The Valley Players), singing (Cantiana), parent/toddler group (Buddies), health and fitness (Medau) and tied in with the neighbouring village of Newnham, folk dancing, Women's Institute and brownies groups.

References

External links

Doddington Village Website

Doddington Place Gardens

{{authority control Villages in Kent Civil parishes in Kent