Sandhurst is a village in the borough of Tunbridge Wells 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, close to the border with

East Sussex East Sussex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South East England on the English Channel coast. It is bordered by Kent to the north and east, West Sussex to the west, and Surrey to the north-west. The largest settlement in East ...

. It is situated on the A268 road near the villages of Hawkhurst and Northiam. The Black Death in 1348-49 is believed to be the cause of why the church in Sandhurst is so far from the main village, although it could also be explained by an increase in trade heading from Hawkhurst to Rye, where the majority of the village now rests.

Facilities

* Sandhurst Primary School is in the centre of the village and was founded in 1909. * 'Johnson's of Sandhurst', formerly 'Mace' after a supplier change, is the main shop, selling a variety of food and other items as well as housing the

post office A post office is a public facility and a retailer that provides mail services, such as accepting letters and parcels, providing post office boxes, and selling postage stamps, packaging, and stationery. Post offices may offer additional serv ...

. There are also a beauty salon, a tea room, a garage and a hardware store. * St. Nicholas' Church is located in Sandhurst Cross, about a mile south from the main village. There is also a Baptist church, located on the A268, Rye Road. * Sandhurst windmill ( Ringle Crouch Green) has been rebuilt from the base, which was all that remained. It now serves as a house, but supplies electricity. * There is a social club on the back road in the village, open to members and guests, providing live entertainment as well as facilities for darts, pool, and television. * The New Swan is the only

public house A pub (short for public house) is a kind of drinking establishment which is licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term ''public house'' first appeared in the United Kingdom in late 17th century, and wa ...

in the village, offering food and drinks as well as regular live entertainment and karaoke nights. * There are two tea rooms in the village.

Roads

The main road through the village is the A268, Rye Road. Bodiam Road leads to Bodiam in the south; Sponden Lane at the western end of the village goes to Benenden, to the north of the village. Sandhurst is served by the Arriva Southern Counties number 5 bus to

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 ...

, but not on Sundays.

Twinning

Sandhurst is

twinned Twinning (making a twin of) may refer to: * In biology and agriculture, producing two offspring (i.e., twins) at a time, or having a tendency to do so; * Twin towns and sister cities, towns and cities involved in town twinning * Twinning inst ...

with the village of

Heuringhem Heuringhem (; ) is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Hauts-de-France region of France. Heuringhem is twinned with Sandhurst, Kent. Geography A village situated 4 miles (6 km) south of Saint-Omer, at the D195 and D477 crossro ...

in northern

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan ar ...

. There is an active Sandhurst Twinning Association.

Landmarks

Significant landmarks in the village include the clock tower, which was built in 1889 in memory of Arthur Oakes and is a grade II

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 I ...

, and

Sandhurst War Memorial Sandhurst War Memorial is a First World War memorial in the village of Sandhurst in Kent, south-eastern England, close to the border with East Sussex. The memorial is one of fifteen War Crosses by Sir Edwin Lutyens and arguably the one with the ...

, which was designed by

Sir Edwin Lutyens Sir Edwin Landseer Lutyens ( ; 29 March 1869 – 1 January 1944) was an English architect known for imaginatively adapting traditional architectural styles to the requirements of his era. He designed many English country houses, war memoria ...

and unveiled in 1923 and sits in an elaborate setting; it is also grade II listed.

References

{{authority control Villages in Kent Civil parishes in Kent