Leigh , historically spelled Lyghe, is a village and a civil parish located in the Sevenoaks district of Kent, England. It is located six miles (10 km) south of Sevenoaks town and three miles (5 km) west of Tonbridge. There is a large village green; nearby is Hall Place, once Leigh Hall, occasionally open to the public, built in 1876. The parish church (13th century) is dedicated to St Mary.

History

The name of the village derives from the

Old English Old English (, ), 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 was brought to Great Britain by Anglo-Saxon settlement of Britain, Anglo ...

''leah'', meaning a forest glade or clearing. Leigh is thought to have grown from a hamlet, evidence of which dates back to the late 11th century. Much of the land around the village was acquired in the 14th century by

Sir John de Pulteney Sir John de Pulteney (sometimes spelled Poultney; died 8 June 1349) was a major English entrepreneur and property owner, who served four times as Mayor of London. Background A biography of Sir John, written by Charles Lethbridge Kingsford, tha ...

, owner of nearby Penshurst Place. In 1533, the estate passed to the Sidney family who retained ownership of most of this land until the early 20th century. The village grew substantially in the 19th century when the Baily and Morley families built many of the distinctive buildings present today, including Hall Place, East and Old Lodges, The Square, Forge Square and School Master's House. The Tonbridge to Redhill railway was built in 1842 to the south of the village, bringing further growth in population.

Government

Leigh is administered by

Sevenoaks District Council 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 tradition ...

and

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 falls within the UK parliamentary constituency of Tonbridge and Malling. The parish of Leigh also includes the hamlet of Charcott as well as the

Old Powder Mills The Old Powder Mills was a former research centre of GSK in Kent. History In 1949 the site became a pharmaceutical manufacturing factory, when Menley & James bought the site, who were owned by Smith, Kline & French. In 1952 the site became w ...

and Moorden.

Community facilities

The ''Fleur De Lis'' is the only public house in the village itself, although the ''Plough Inn'' is located to the east of the village on Powder Mill Lane. The ''Fleur De Lis'' was originally built as cottages by Thomas Baily in 1855, but was bought by a local brewery, Bartrum and Company, in 1870.

Transport

Leigh railway station Leigh railway station is on the Redhill to Tonbridge Line and serves Leigh, Kent, Leigh in Kent, England. It is measured from via . Train services are operated by Southern (Govia Thameslink Railway), Southern. History The station was opene ...

is on the Redhill to Tonbridge line and is located to the south of the village centre. It opened as "Leigh Halt" in 1911 but has been named "Leigh" since 1969. The former Penshurst Airfield was located within the parish, to the south of Charcott. It operated mainly as a military airfield in 1916–1936 and 1940–1946. The remaining buildings were removed in 1991.

Local places of interest

St Mary's Church, Leigh St Mary's Church is a parish church in Leigh, Kent. The current church was originally completed in the 13th century, although a church is believed to have stood on the same site for over a thousand years. It is a Grade II* listed building. Build ...

Notable people

Amy Catherine Walton Amy Catherine Walton (9 August 1849 – 5 July, 1939), born Amy Catherine Deck and better known as Mrs O. F. Walton, was an English author of Christian children's books, mainly but not exclusively fictional. She was the daughter of an Anglican ...

(1849–1939), writer of noted Christian literature for children, moved to Leigh with her priest husband, Octavius Frank Walton, in 1906. He retired in 1918, but they soon moved back.

History

Government

Community facilities

Transport

Local places of interest

Notable people

See also

References

External links