Sandhurst is a village in the

borough of Tunbridge Wells The Borough of Tunbridge Wells is a local government district and borough in Kent, England. It takes its name from its main town, Royal Tunbridge Wells. The district was formed on 1 April 1974, by the merger of the municipal borough of Royal T ...

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. It is situated on the

A268 road List of A roads in zone 2 in Great Britain starting south of the River Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the The Isis, River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the ...

near the villages of

Hawkhurst Hawkhurst is village and civil parish in the borough of Tunbridge Wells in Kent, England. The village is located close to the border with East Sussex, around south-east of Royal Tunbridge Wells and within the High Weald Area of Outstanding Na ...

and

Northiam Northiam is a village and civil parish in the Rother district, in East Sussex, England, 13 miles (21 km) north of Hastings in the valley of the River Rother. The A28 road to Canterbury and Hastings passes through it. Governance 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 ser ...

. 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 Bodiam () is a small village and civil parish in the Rother District of East Sussex, England. It lies in the valley of the River Rother, near to the villages of Sandhurst and Ewhurst Green. The MP of the local UK Parliament constituency is Hu ...

in the south; Sponden Lane at the western end of the village goes to

Benenden Benenden is a village and civil parish in the borough of Tunbridge Wells in Kent, England. The parish is located on the Weald, to the west of Tenterden. In addition to the main village, Iden Green, East End, Dingleden and Standen Street settle ...

, to the north of the village. Sandhurst is served by the Arriva Southern Counties number 5 bus to

Maidstone Maidstone is the largest 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 centre of the town, linking it wi ...

, but not on Sundays.

Twinning

Sandhurst is twinned with the village of Heuringhem 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 area ...

. 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 Irel ...

, and Sandhurst War Memorial, 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