Dunton Green is a small 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 below districts and counties, or their combined form, the unitary authority ...
in the
Sevenoaks District
Sevenoaks is a Non-metropolitan district, local government district in west Kent, England. Its council is based in the town of Sevenoaks.
The district was Local Government Act 1972, formed on 1 April 1974 by the merger of Sevenoaks Urban District ...
of
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. It lies in the valley of the
River Darent
The Darent is a Kentish tributary of the River Thames and takes the waters of the River Cray as a tributary in the tidal portion of the Darent near Crayford, as illustrated by the adjacent photograph, snapped at high tide. 'Darenth' is frequen ...
, north of the town of
Sevenoaks
Sevenoaks is a town in Kent with a population of 29,506 situated south-east of London, England. Also classified as a civil parishes in England, civil parish, Sevenoaks is served by a commuter South Eastern Main Line, main line railway into Lon ...
. Dunton Green is designated as being part of 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, due to its proximity to the
North Downs
The North Downs are a ridge of chalk hills in south east England that stretch from Farnham in Surrey to the White Cliffs of Dover in Kent. Much of the North Downs comprises two Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONBs): the Surrey Hills and ...
. The original ecclesiastical church parish of Dunton Green was part of
Otford
Otford is a village and civil parish in the Sevenoaks District of Kent, England. It lies on the River Darent, north of Sevenoaks. Otford's four churches are the Anglican Church of St Bartholomew in the village centre, the Otford Methodist Ch ...
parish. The former parish church was dedicated to St John the Divine.
From at least the 17th century, Dunton Green was a centre for making bricks and tiles. In 1862, the ''Dunton Green Brick, Tile and Pottery Works'' was established: a large concern with clayholes or pits, kilns and an engine house. While clay was being dug for, many fossils were discovered.
Places of worship
St John the Divine's Church, the
Anglican parish church
A parish church in the Church of England is the church which acts as the religious centre for the people within each Church of England parish (the smallest and most basic Church of England administrative unit; since the 19th century sometimes ca ...
, was designed by M.T. Potter and built in 1889–90 using local bricks. It was declared
redundant in 1987 after congregations declined, and is now in commercial use.
The village
Anglican
Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of th ...
church is now St Mary's,
Riverhead and its distinctive green copper spire can be seen rising up in the distance from the village. Dunton Green Free Church opened in 1873 in a building which later became the Bethel Free Church, associated with the
Assemblies of God
The Assemblies of God (AG), officially the World Assemblies of God Fellowship, is a group of over 144 autonomous self-governing national groupings of churches that together form the world's largest Pentecostal denomination."Assemblies of God". ...
Pentecostal
Pentecostalism or classical Pentecostalism is a Protestant Charismatic Christian movement denomination.
The Free Church moved to a new building on Station Road, opened in September 1937. Still with its original name, it remains open and is a member of the
Congregational Federation
The Congregational Federation is a small Christian denomination in Great Britain comprising 235 congregations, down from 294 in April 2014. The Federation brings together Congregational churches, and provides support and guidance to member chur ...
.
Transport
Dunton Green railway station
Dunton Green railway station is on the South Eastern Main Line in England, serving the village of Dunton Green, Kent. It is down the line from London Charing Cross and is situated between and stations. Trains calling at the station are ope ...
provides train services every 30 mins to , and taking around 40-50 mins.
Otford Station is about a 5 minute drive away and has fast trains running every 30 mins to and stopping services running every 30 mins to .
There are also bus services to central Sevenoaks and surrounding villages. Go Coach routes 3 and 5 serve the village providing links to
Central Sevenoaks with the 3 running to
Knockholt
Knockholt is a village and civil parish in the Sevenoaks District of Kent, England. It is located north west of Sevenoaks & south of Orpington, adjacent to the Kent border with Greater London.
The village is mostly a ribbon development, sur ...
,
Halstead
Halstead is a town and civil parish in the Braintree District of Essex, England. Its population of 11,906 in 2011[Orpington
Orpington is a town and area in south east London, England, within the London Borough of Bromley. It is 13.4 miles (21.6 km) south east of Charing Cross.
On the south-eastern edge of the Greater London Built-up Area, it is south of St Ma ...]
and the 5 running to
Sevenoaks Weald
__NOTOC__
Sevenoaks Weald is a village and civil parish in the Sevenoaks District of Kent, England. The parish is located on the Low Weald, immediately south of Sevenoaks town, with the village of Sevenoaks Weald at its centre. It was formed in ...
and
Tonbridge
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 ...
. Dunton Green is not served by buses on weekends, however Go Coach routes 6 and 8 can be caught nearby at
Riverhead Tesco down the road. Route 6 provides links to
Chipstead and
Kemsing
Kemsing is a village and civil parish in the Sevenoaks district of Kent, England. The parish lies on the scarp face of the North Downs, 20 miles south east of Central London, north east of Sevenoaks. Also in the parish are the hamlets of Hea ...
whilst route 8 provides local links around Sevenoaks. On Sundays, route 401 operated by
Arriva
Arriva plc is a British multinational public transport company headquartered in Sunderland, England.[Westerham
Westerham is a town and civil parish in the Sevenoaks District of Kent, England. It is located 3.4 miles east of Oxted and 6 miles west of Sevenoaks, adjacent to the Kent border with both Greater London and Surrey.
It is recorded as early as t ...]
and
Tunbridge Wells
Royal Tunbridge Wells is a town in Kent, England, southeast of central London. It lies close to the border with East Sussex on the northern edge of the Weald, High Weald, whose sandstone geology is exemplified by the rock formation High Roc ...
.
Leisure and facilities
Sevenoaks Information provides a comprehensive What's on events diary for Dunton Green and the surrounding area.
Dunton Green Community Forum and events calendar. Add your own event and discuss local news.
The Dunton Green Social Club offers great entertainment in the village most weekends.
National and regional walking trails pass through the village and there are various local footpaths too. The
Darent Valley Path
The waymarked path Darent Valley Path is long, following the River Darent from the banks of the River Thames at Dartford through the Kent Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty to the Greensand Hills above Sevenoaks. It runs through the villa ...
is accessed from Rye Lane and follows the course of the
River Darent
The Darent is a Kentish tributary of the River Thames and takes the waters of the River Cray as a tributary in the tidal portion of the Darent near Crayford, as illustrated by the adjacent photograph, snapped at high tide. 'Darenth' is frequen ...
from
Sevenoaks
Sevenoaks is a town in Kent with a population of 29,506 situated south-east of London, England. Also classified as a civil parishes in England, civil parish, Sevenoaks is served by a commuter South Eastern Main Line, main line railway into Lon ...
to
Dartford
Dartford is the principal town in the Borough of Dartford, Kent, England. It is located south-east of Central London and
is situated adjacent to the London Borough of Bexley to its west. To its north, across the Thames estuary, is Thurrock in ...
. There is also a local footpath that follows the north of Chipstead Lake and takes you to
Chipstead. The
North Downs Way
The North Downs Way National Trail is a long-distance path in southern England, opened in 1978. It runs from Farnham to Dover, past Guildford, Dorking, Merstham, Otford and Rochester, along the Surrey Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty ...
passes the northern end of the village at London Road. Heading west will take you along the
North Downs
The North Downs are a ridge of chalk hills in south east England that stretch from Farnham in Surrey to the White Cliffs of Dover in Kent. Much of the North Downs comprises two Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONBs): the Surrey Hills and ...
to
Betsoms Hill,
Titsey
Titsey is a rural village and a civil parish on the North Downs almost wholly within the M25 London Orbital Motorway in the Tandridge District of Surrey, England.
In local government it forms the south-western part of the ward ''Tatsfield ...
, and eventually on to
Farnham
Farnham ( /ˈfɑːnəm/) 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 trib ...
. Heading east will take you to
Otford
Otford is a village and civil parish in the Sevenoaks District of Kent, England. It lies on the River Darent, north of Sevenoaks. Otford's four churches are the Anglican Church of St Bartholomew in the village centre, the Otford Methodist Ch ...
, up to
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 ...
, and eventually on to the
White Cliffs of Dover
The White Cliffs of Dover is the region of English coastline facing the Strait of Dover and France. The cliff face, which reaches a height of , owes its striking appearance to its composition of chalk accented by streaks of black flint, deposi ...
.
Along the London Road there are many shops, businesses, pubs, and restaurants. The main village arcade is situated between Dunton Green Primary School and Lennard Road. There are three pubs; The Miners Arms, The Dukes Head, and The Rose and Crown – all are situated along the London Road.
The nearest local Library is in Riverhead and is run by
Kent County Council
Kent County Council is a county council that governs most of the county of Kent in England. It is the upper tier of elected local government, below which are 12 district councils, and around 300 town and parish councils. The county council h ...
; it has specific week day hours of opening.
You can order library items online for collection and there are
telecottage ''Telecottage'' is usually a community based facility that is there to assist learning, access to technology, access to work etc. for its local community. The Telecottages movement started in Sweden and the idea has been taken up quite widely, nota ...
facilities available.
Digital television has been available for aerials pointing east in Dunton Green since 2006 from the
Blue Bell Hill Transmitter for Kent & Sussex TV transmissions, which is also now broadcasting in HD.
Nearest settlements
See also
*
List of places of worship in Sevenoaks (district)
References
External links
*
{{authority control
Civil parishes in Kent
Sevenoaks
Villages in Kent