Aylesford
Aylesford is a village and civil parish on the River Medway in Kent, England, northwest of Maidstone.
Originally a small riverside settlement, the old village comprises around 60 houses, many of which were formerly shops. Two pubs, a village ...
parish of 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 cover ...
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. It is located halfway between Chatham and
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 ...
and lies on top of
Blue Bell Hill
Blue Bell Hill is a chalk hill between Maidstone and Rochester in the English county of Kent. It overlooks the River Medway and is part of the North Downs. Settlements on the hill include the Walderslade suburb of Chatham and the villages of ...
. The community significantly expanded with the developments of the Walderslade area in the post war years, creating several housing estates around the village.
Amenities
The village features a recently built (2007) Dental Surgery, large commuter car park (for coach commuting to
London
London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
), a church (in the parish of Holy Trinity South Chatham), a BT telephone exchange. There used to be a pub (the Upper Bell) and shop in the village but both have closed, the Robin Hood pub lies outside the village along Common Road, and the Lower Bell pub is nearby. Medway crematorium lies to the east (along Robin Hood Lane Upper), alongside the M2. Buckmore Park Scout Centre used to lie to the northwest, but after significant redevelopment in light of the construction of
High Speed 1
High Speed 1 (HS1), legally the Channel Tunnel Rail Link (CTRL), is a high-speed railway linking London with the Channel Tunnel.
It is part of a line carrying international passenger traffic between the United Kingdom and mainland Europe ...
and M2 widening, led to financial problems resulting in its closure. However
Buckmore Park Kart Circuit
Buckmore Park Kart Circuit is an MSA approved outdoor kart racing circuit located just off junction 3 of the M2 in Chatham, Kent, England. Until his death on 10 March 2017, it was owned by John Surtees, the only person to have won world Grand P ...
continues to operate as a separate centre.
Transport
The village is located to the south of the intersection (junction 3) of the M2 and A229 and is bypassed by the A229. The A229 traces the route of a Roman road between Chatham and Maidstone, and its old route up the hill still exists (Warren Road).
There are extensive regular bus services between the Medway Towns and Maidstone by
Arriva
Arriva plc is a British multinational public transport company headquartered in Sunderland, England.Maidstone & District (the 101 and 150 routes) as well as local Bus 142 into Medway There are also numerous commuter coaches travelling into London.
Local government
Blue Bell Hill and parts of southern Walderslade are located in the
Aylesford
Aylesford is a village and civil parish on the River Medway in Kent, England, northwest of Maidstone.
Originally a small riverside settlement, the old village comprises around 60 houses, many of which were formerly shops. Two pubs, a village ...
parish 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 cover ...
. The rest of Walderslade is in the borough of
Medway
Medway is a unitary authority district and conurbation in Kent, South East England. It had a population of 278,016 in 2019. The unitary authority was formed in 1998 when Rochester-upon-Medway amalgamated with the Borough of Gillingham to ...
.
See also
*
Buckmore Park Kart Circuit
Buckmore Park Kart Circuit is an MSA approved outdoor kart racing circuit located just off junction 3 of the M2 in Chatham, Kent, England. Until his death on 10 March 2017, it was owned by John Surtees, the only person to have won world Grand P ...