Shipbourne ( ) is a village and civil parish situated between the towns 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 ...
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 ...
, in the borough of
Tonbridge and Malling
Tonbridge and Malling is a local government district with borough status in Kent, England. Tonbridge is the largest settlement but the authority is based in the modern development of Kings Hill.
Geography
Tonbridge and Malling Borough covers ...
in the
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
county 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 ...
. In 2020 it was named as the most expensive village in Kent.
It is located in an undulating landscape traversed by the small streams of the
River Bourne, set in a clay vale at the foot of the wooded Sevenoaks Greensand Ridge. The landscape is agricultural with dispersed groups of buildings that are almost entirely residential or used for farming purposes.
The dominant characteristics of the historical landscape are thick woodland with smaller, broadleaf
coppices
Coppicing is a traditional method of woodland management which exploits the capacity of many species of trees to put out new shoots from their tree stump, stump or roots if cut down. In a coppiced wood, which is called a copse, young tree stems ...
with small to medium-sized fields enclosed by traditional boundaries of hedges or chestnut fencing. Earlier removal of some hedgerows has resulted in some larger arable fields; these are often separated by small woodland belts or shaws. The most distinctive landscape feature is The Common, also known as The Green, which is a large, open and dominant space in the centre of the village.
To the south of the village, on each side of the A227 is Hoad Common. Before the last war Hoad Common was an attractive lightly treed open space popular with visitors but is now neglected and is rapidly deteriorating into scrubby woodland.
The parish is situated in the Metropolitan
Green Belt
A green belt is a policy and land-use zone designation used in land-use planning to retain areas of largely undeveloped, wild, or agricultural land surrounding or neighboring urban areas. Similar concepts are greenways or green wedges, which hav ...
and is an area designated as a
Special Landscape Area
A local landscape designation is a non-statutory conservation designation used by local government in some parts of the United Kingdom to categorise sensitive landscapes which are, either legally or as a matter of policy, protected from developme ...
. The central village, including the pub, the church, the village school and The Common, is within a
Conservation Area
Protected areas or conservation areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognized natural, ecological or cultural values. There are several kinds of protected areas, which vary by level of protection depending on the ena ...
. Much of the village lies within the Kent Downs
Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty
An Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB; , AHNE) is an area of countryside in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, that has been designated for conservation due to its significant landscape value. Areas are designated in recognition of thei ...
.
The Fairlawne Estate
The
Fairlawne
Fairlawne is a Grade I listed house in Shipbourne, Kent, England, about 30 miles southeast of central London. The Fairlawne Estate is extensive and stretches to Plaxtol.
Architecture
Fairlawne was rebuilt for Sir Henry Vane the Elder in 1630–5 ...
Estate is a 1,000 acre landed-estate which stretches from Shipbourne into neighbouring
Plaxtol
Plaxtol is a village and civil parish in the borough of Tonbridge and Malling in Kent, England. The village is located around north of Tonbridge and the same distance east of Sevenoaks. In the 2011 Census, the parish had a population of 1,117.
...
. It is currently owned by the Saudi Arabian horse-breeder, Prince
Khalid Abdullah.
Vane Family: In
Stuart times, the estate was the property of Sir
Henry Vane the Elder
Sir Henry Vane, the elder (18 February 15891655) was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons at various times between 1614 and 1654. He served King Charles in many posts including secretary of state, but on the outbreak of the En ...
, Secretary of State to
Charles I Charles I may refer to:
Kings and emperors
* Charlemagne (742–814), numbered Charles I in the lists of Holy Roman Emperors and French kings
* Charles I of Anjou (1226–1285), also king of Albania, Jerusalem, Naples and Sicily
* Charles I of ...
. Sir Henry was created Lord-Lieutenant of
Durham Durham most commonly refers to:
*Durham, England, a cathedral city and the county town of County Durham
*County Durham, an English county
* Durham County, North Carolina, a county in North Carolina, United States
*Durham, North Carolina, a city in N ...
and the family later became one of the leading families in that county too. Sir Henry's eldest son, also called Harry and also knighted, became
Governor
A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...
of
in 1635. Sir
Henry Vane the Younger
Sir Henry Vane (baptised 26 March 161314 June 1662), often referred to as Harry Vane and Henry Vane the Younger to distinguish him from his father, Henry Vane the Elder, was an English politician, statesman, and colonial governor. He was brie ...
made valiant attempts to remain on the winning side during the difficult period of the English Civil War, but is probably noted for his inept handling of the aspiration: he had been a
Royalist
A royalist supports a particular monarch as head of state for a particular kingdom, or of a particular dynastic claim. In the abstract, this position is royalism. It is distinct from monarchism, which advocates a monarchical system of governme ...
but then became a
Roundhead
Roundheads were the supporters of the Parliament of England during the English Civil War (1642–1651). Also known as Parliamentarians, they fought against King Charles I of England and his supporters, known as the Cavaliers or Royalists, who ...
, before switching back to being a Royalist under Charles I. He was executed in London after being reported as being 'too dangerous to live'. His body lies in the Vane family vault area of the crypt of Shipbourne church in an anthropoid (body shaped) lead shell coffin with many members of
the Vane family. His ghost is said to wander the village.
The son of one employee of the Vane family on the estate wrote a 700 verse blank poem about hop-growing. The poet
Christopher Smart was born in 1722 at ''Fairlawne'', where his father was steward.
Cazalet Family: The Vane family were followed by the Cazalets. In 1880,
Edward Cazalet
Sir Edward Stephen Cazalet DL (born 26 April 1936) is a retired judge of the High Court of England and Wales.
Early life
Edward Cazalet was born in 1936, the son of the Queen Mother's racehorse trainer Peter Cazalet and Leonora Wodehouse, t ...
built the church, dedicated to
St Giles
Saint Giles (, la, Aegidius, french: Gilles), also known as Giles the Hermit, was a hermit or monk active in the lower Rhône most likely in the 6th century. Revered as a saint, his cult became widely diffused but his hagiography is mostly lege ...
, plus a
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 was ...
, originally named "The New Inn" and later renamed ''The Chaser'', and several of the cottages which surround The Common. Major
Peter Cazalet was the trainer of horses owned by
Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother
Elizabeth Angela Marguerite Bowes-Lyon (4 August 1900 – 30 March 2002) was Queen of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 to 6 February 1952 as the wife of King George VI. She was the l ...
. Many members of
the Cazalet family are commemorated in the church.
The Village
St Giles Church: Originally the regarded as a chapel to Tonbridge Parish Church by 1314 the Church belonged to the
Knights Hospitallers of St John of Jerusalem. The dedication of the church to
St Giles
Saint Giles (, la, Aegidius, french: Gilles), also known as Giles the Hermit, was a hermit or monk active in the lower Rhône most likely in the 6th century. Revered as a saint, his cult became widely diffused but his hagiography is mostly lege ...
, the patron saint of lepers, beggars and disabled people dates from this period. Jane Austen's father,
George Austen held the curacy of St Giles church until 1758. The current church building was commissioned by
Edward Cazalet
Sir Edward Stephen Cazalet DL (born 26 April 1936) is a retired judge of the High Court of England and Wales.
Early life
Edward Cazalet was born in 1936, the son of the Queen Mother's racehorse trainer Peter Cazalet and Leonora Wodehouse, t ...
in 1879 to replace a much loved but crumbling older building dating from 1722. The new church was built by a local builder, William Allcorn, who used pinnacles from the old church as gateposts for his new house on School Lane.
St Giles' Church continues to serve as a place of worship, but nowadays also doubles up, every Thursday morning, as the venue for the local farmers' market.
Dene Park:
Dene Park
Dene Park is a Victorian mansion house and estate in the parish of Hadlow, Kent, United Kingdom. It served as the site of the Thomas Delarue School between 1955 and 1965.
History
The Dene Park estate was advertised for sale in ''The Times'' of ...
woods is 250 acres of mixed woodland stretching from Shipbourne Common towards Tonbridge. Now looked after by the forestry commission, it originally formed part of the 650 acre Dene Park Estate; a sporting estate and country house on the outskirts of the village. The equestrian and canine artist
F.M. Hollams spent her early years at Dene Park.
Shipbourne Cricket Club: Established in 1880, Shipbourne CC are one of the oldest village cricket clubs in the county. Originally playing on Shipbourne Common in 1939 the Common was turned over to Agricultural use by the Kent War Agricultural Committee; despite the village warning that nothing would grow on the Common an attempt to grow corn was made. Whilst nothing grew the land was ruined for cricket going forwards.
Following the end of the Second World War, Peter Cazalet asked his gallops manager and Shipbourne Cricket Captain Joe Hills to identify a new home for the Club. Joe identified a field behind St. Giles church at the bottom of Fairlawne Hill where the club play to this day. Shipbourne have 2 Saturday league sides and a friendly XI on Sundays.
Shipbourne Village Hall: Built in 1879, Shipbourne Village hall forms part of a small cottage at the end of the Common and was gifted to the village by the Cazalet family.
The Wood House: A
Grade II listed
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 ...
house, commissioned by Jack and Frankie Donaldson and built on land found for them by
Peter Cazalet on the edge of Shipbourne Common. The house was built by the
Bauhaus
The Staatliches Bauhaus (), commonly known as the Bauhaus (), was a German art school operational from 1919 to 1933 that combined crafts and the fine arts.Oxford Dictionary of Art and Artists (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 4th edn., 200 ...
founder
Walter Gropius
Walter Adolph Georg Gropius (18 May 1883 – 5 July 1969) was a German-American architect
An architect is a person who plans, designs and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in conne ...
. Thought to be Gropius' last work in the UK and the only weather-board one;
the Wood House was initially mocked by villagers and known as "The Chicken House" over the years it has become well-loved local landmark
References
External links
The Shipbourne village website. Parish Council and local services, news and information.
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Villages in Kent
Civil parishes in Kent