Otham 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 below districts and counties, or their combined form, the unitary authority ...

in the

Maidstone Maidstone is the largest Town status in the United Kingdom, 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 c ...

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. The population of the civil parish at the 2011 census was 523, with 204 dwellings.

Buildings

The village itself has been in existence since before the time of the

Domesday Book Domesday Book () – the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book" – is a manuscript record of the "Great Survey" of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 by order of King William I, known as William the Conqueror. The manusc ...

. The village was given by William the Conqueror to his half-brother Odo, bishop of Baieux, although the lands were later handed to the crown. Under Henry III, the land was held by knight Peter de Otham, with the land changing hands several more times throughout time. St Nicholas Otham 1

One of the village's oldest buildings, the 12th-century parish church of

St Nicholas Saint Nicholas of Myra, ; la, Sanctus Nicolaus (traditionally 15 March 270 – 6 December 343), also known as Nicholas of Bari, was an early Christian bishop of Greeks, Greek descent from the maritime city of Myra in Asia Minor (; modern-da ...

, is a Grade I

listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

. The vicar is Reverend Steven Hughes MBE. Otham also has a number listed

mediaeval 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 period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...

houses including

Otham Manor Otham Manor, previously known as Wardes, is a late 14th-century manor house in Otham, Kent. The house was built in the late 14th century, probably around 1370, and was altered and extended in the 16th century. It is a L-shaped two-storey timber-f ...

(Grade I),

Synyards Synyards is a late 15th-century house in Otham, Kent. The house was built in the late 15th century with additions in the 16th century and in 1663. It is a mostly two-storey timber-framed hall house with a steeply-pitched plain tile hipped roof. ...

(Grade I) and Stoneacre (Grade II*). Stoneacre itself is a small

National Trust The National Trust, formally the National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, is a charity and membership organisation for heritage conservation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. In Scotland, there is a separate and ...

property, which is a private residence but is opened to visitors on Saturdays and Bank Holiday Mondays from April to September. Otham has a circular walk of 7 km which includes the Spot Lane Nature Reserve and Stoneacre. Much of the central village is protected as part of the Otham Conservation Area, due to the village being a "well-preserved example of an affluent medieval village which still maintains a strong sense of identity". The White Horse pub is located in Otham. The White Horse Inn had two Publicans, the first William Goodwin (born in 1746) and then his son, Solomon William Goodwin who was born in 1833. Otham Manor was a 14th-century Wealden hall house, but was extensively modified in later centuries; it was most recently modified and extended in the 20th century. The property was Grade I listed in 1952; The Listing described it as a "GV I House, formerly cottages, now house. Late C14 with C16 alterations and additions. Restored circa 1912 by Sir Louis Mallet." The estate was in a state of "semi-dereliction by the early 1990s" according to

Country Life (magazine) ''Country Life'' is a British weekly perfect-bound glossy magazine that is published by Future plc. It was based in London at 110 Southwark Street until March 2016, when it became based in Farnborough, Hampshire. History ''Country Life'' ...

. It was subsequently restored by new owners and listed for sale in 2019.

Sport

Bearsted F.C. Bearsted Football Club is a Association football, football club located in Bearsted, near Maidstone, in Kent, England. The club are currently members of the and play at Honey Lane in Otham. History Bearsted Football Club was formed in 1895, a ...

play their home matches at Honey Lane in Otham,Contact Bearsted Football Club
Bearstead F.C. and the village is also home to Rumwood Cricket Club.

Development

The village of Otham is set to be expanded hugely over the next 10 years due to Maidstone Borough Council's Local Plan. The village currently has 204 dwellings, but is set to be expanded, with the construction of 1251 more on sites at Church Road (440 houses), Bicknor Farm (286 houses), Bicknor Green (190 houses) and Bicknor Farm (335 houses). These constructions are opposed by the Parish Council, who state the construction is "likely to have a significant impact upon our village" and "will disproportionately affect Otham and nearby parishes".

References

External links

Otham Parish websiteHistory of Otham dating from 1798
by Hasted, at British History Online website
National Trust webpages on StoneacreBearsted FC website
{{authority control Villages in Kent Civil parishes in Kent Borough of Maidstone