Chiddingstone is a village and civil parish in the Sevenoaks District of Kent, England. The parish is located on the River Eden between Tonbridge and

Edenbridge Edenbridge may mean: * Edenbridge (band), a symphonic metal band from Austria *Edenbridge, Kent, a town in England *Edenbridge, Saskatchewan, a former Jewish settlement in Canada *Humber Valley Village Humber Valley Village is a neighbourhood lo ...

. The village of Chiddingstone Causeway and the hamlet Chiddingstone Hoath are also included in the parish. Chiddingstone is unique in that, apart from the church and

Chiddingstone Castle Chiddingstone Castle is situated in the village of Chiddingstone, near Edenbridge, Kent, England, south-southeast of London and in the upper valley of the River Medway. The castle was built by the Streatfeild family and served as their seat fro ...

, the entire village is owned by the National Trust, which describes it as "the best example of a Tudor village left in the country". It is an example of a Tudor one-street village.

History

Chiddingstone is mentioned in the Domesday Book. It was given to Bishop Odo in 1072 after the Norman invasion as part of his Earldom of Kent. The first house was owned by Roger Attwood, constructed in the typical Kent style. Several villagers including Atwood took part in Jack Cade's rebellion of 1450, and were later pardoned. The Castle Inn is a 15th-century building, which became a hostelry in 1730. It was visited by artists John Millais and Charles Rennie Mackintosh.

Arthur Rackham Arthur Rackham (19 September 1867 – 6 September 1939) was an English book illustrator. He is recognised as one of the leading figures during the Golden Age of British book illustration. His work is noted for its robust pen and ink drawings, ...

also visited Chiddingstone. The

Streatfeild family The Streatfeilds, Streatfields or Stretfields are an aristocratic English family of the landed gentry, from Chiddingstone, Kent. The family are traceable to the early 16th century and are a possible cadet branch of the Noble House of Stratford. ...

were major landowners in the area, starting in 1584. In the early 1800s

Henry Streatfeild Henry Streatfeild (1706 - 1762) was a substantial British landowner and member of the prominent Chiddingstone, Kent Streatfeild family. Henry Streatfeild was born on 3 June 1706 in Chiddingstone. He was the son of Henry Streatfeild (1679-1747) an ...

changed the village significantly, diverting the road and demolishing some buildings. The National Trust bought the village in 1939.

Parish church

View of Saint Mary's Church, Chiddingstone from the Churchyard

St. Mary the Virgin, Chiddingstone is a large parish church which enhances the look of the village, and is perhaps the fourth built on that site. In the churchyard is a stone gazebo dating from 1736 built by Henry Streatfeild; leading down into the Streatfeild family vault beneath which has a through flow of air provided by vents in two false altar tombs, one adjacent to the gazebo and the other some 30 feet north. The church was almost destroyed by a lightning fire in 1624. In recent years it has had new heating, lighting and sound systems installed. In addition to this, a chapel, at the base of the tower, has been constructed in 1979 with adjoining lavatory added in 2007.

Origin of name

A popular theory is that the village takes its name from a large sandstone rock formation, situated on its outskirts, named the Chiding Stone. Chidingstone was a previous spelling used for the village.Parishes: Chidingstone
''The History and Topographical Survey of the County of Kent: Volume 3'' (1797), pp. 210-227, British History Online. The National Trust consider it more likely the name is derived from the homestead of Cidda's family, "Chidding tun". It was recorded as "Cidingstane" in the 12th century. The stone may have been used as a place to remonstrate overbearing local wives, a

Druid A druid was a member of the high-ranking class in ancient Celtic cultures. Druids were religious leaders as well as legal authorities, adjudicators, lorekeepers, medical professionals and political advisors. Druids left no written accounts. Whi ...

ical ritual site, or an

Anglo-Saxon The Anglo-Saxons were a Cultural identity, cultural group who inhabited England in the Early Middle Ages. They traced their origins to settlers who came to Britain from mainland Europe in the 5th century. However, the ethnogenesis of the Anglo- ...

boundary marker.

The village today

Penshurst railway station Penshurst railway station is on the Redhill to Tonbridge Line and is located approximately two miles north of Penshurst in Kent, in the village of Chiddingstone Causeway in England. It is measured from via . History Penshurst station was ope ...

is located in the village of Chiddingstone Causeway. It is on the line between Tonbridge and Redhill. There is a primary school, Chiddingstone Church of England School. There are several nature reserves in the area including: *Sevenoaks Reserve and Jeffery Harrison Visitor Centre (Operated by Kent Wildlife Trust) *Bough Beech Visitors Centre and Reserve (Operated by Kent Wildlife Trust) *Chiddingstone Reserve (Operated by Kent Wildlife Trust) There is a village shop and accompanying cafe called The Tulip Tree, popular with cyclists at the weekend.

Film location

The village was used as a setting in the 1985 Merchant Ivory film '' A Room with a View'', in the scene where Lucy and Cecil take a walk after their engagement party. The High Street is seen from the end nearest to the Castle Inn. Michael Winner used Chiddingstone in his production of ''The Wicked Lady''. Terry Jones and the

Monty Python Monty Python (also collectively known as the Pythons) were a British comedy troupe who created the sketch comedy television show '' Monty Python's Flying Circus'', which first aired on the BBC in 1969. Forty-five episodes were made over four ...

team filmed here for '' Wind in the Willows - Mr Toad's Wild Ride''. ''

Elizabeth R ''Elizabeth R'' is a BBC television drama serial of six 85-minute plays starring Glenda Jackson as Queen Elizabeth I of England. It was first broadcast on BBC2 from February to March 1971, through the ABC in Australia and broadcast in America ...

'', starring Glenda Jackson was largely made here, as was Gerald Scarfe's ''Life of Hogarth''.

References

External links

National Trust webpageHistory of ChiddingstoneVillage net articleThe Castle InnHistoric Kent article
{{authority control Villages in Kent Civil parishes in Kent National Trust properties in Kent Streatfeild family