Harrietsham is a rural and industrial village and civil parish in the Maidstone District of Kent, England noted in the Domesday Book. According to the United Kingdom Census 2001, it had a population of 1,504, increasing to 2,113 at the 2011 Census. The parish is in the North Downs, east of Maidstone and includes the settlements of Marley,

Pollhill Pollhill is a hamlet in the parish of Harrietsham near the town of Maidstone 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 ...

and Fairbourne.

History

Harrietsham is noted in the Domesday Book. In mediaeval times the manor of Harrietsham passed through a succession of families, including the Adam family of Essex. The manor subsequently passed from Stephen Adam to his sister Eve, wife of John Levett of Hollington, East Sussex. On Levett's death, his widow remarried Laurence Ashburnham, Gent., of Broomham, Sussex, ancestor of the

Ashburnham baronets The Ashburnham Baronetcy, of Broomham in the County of Sussex, is a title in the Baronetage of England. It was created on 15 May 1661 for Denny Ashburnham, Member of Parliament for Hastings. He was the grandson of Adam Ashburnham, Member of Par ...

, bringing the manor of Harrietsham into the Ashburnham family. The village contains a number of listed buildings, the most important of which architecturally are The Old House in East Street and the

Saxon The Saxons ( la, Saxones, german: Sachsen, ang, Seaxan, osx, Sahson, nds, Sassen, nl, Saksen) were a group of Germanic * * * * peoples whose name was given in the early Middle Ages to a large country (Old Saxony, la, Saxonia) near the Nor ...

Church of St John the Baptist, which are both listed Grade I. The village also includes a church dedicated to

St Peter ) (Simeon, Simon) , birth_date = , birth_place = Bethsaida, Gaulanitis, Syria, Roman Empire , death_date = Between AD 64–68 , death_place = probably Vatican Hill, Rome, Italia, Roman Empire , parents = John (or Jonah; Jona) , occupation ...

, a Roman Catholic church and several nonconformist churches. The Olympic Torch of London 2012 travelled through Harrietsham.

Geography

The village is

bypass Bypass may refer to: * Bypass (road), a road that avoids a built-up area (not to be confused with passing lane) * Flood bypass of a river Science and technology Medicine * Bypass surgery, a class of surgeries including for example: ** Heart bypas ...

ed by the

A20 road This is a list of roads designated A20. Roads entries are sorted in the countries alphabetical order. * ''A20 road (Australia)'' may refer to: ** Sturt Highway, a road in South Australia & New South Wales ** Gawler Bypass, a road in South Austral ...

between Maidstone and

Ashford Ashford may refer to: Places Australia *Ashford, New South Wales *Ashford, South Australia *Electoral district of Ashford, South Australia Ireland *Ashford, County Wicklow *Ashford Castle, County Galway United Kingdom * Ashford, Kent, a town ** ...

, although at one time all traffic passed through it.

Harrietsham railway station Harrietsham railway station serves Harrietsham in Kent, England. It is down the line from . The station, and all trains serving it, are operated by Southeastern. History Harrietsham station opened on 1 July 1884 as part of the London, Chatham ...

serves the village. Both the

M20 motorway The M20 is a motorway in Kent, England. It follows on from the A20 at Swanley, meeting the M25, and continuing on to Folkestone, providing a link to the Channel Tunnel and the ports at Dover. It is long. Although not signposted in England, ...

and

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; ...

pass through the parish. The large Marley works to the east of the centre detract from the rural tranquility as well as the transport corridor. The River Len flows through the village south of the M20, on which is located Holme Mill.

References

External links

* Civil parishes in Kent Villages in Kent {{Kent-geo-stub