Seal, Kent
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Seal is a village and
civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties, or their combined form, the unitary authority ...
in the
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 ...
district 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 ...
, England. The parish is located in the valley between the
North Downs The North Downs are a ridge of chalk hills in south east England that stretch from Farnham in Surrey to the White Cliffs of Dover in Kent. Much of the North Downs comprises two Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONBs): the Surrey Hills and ...
and the
Greensand Greensand or green sand is a sand or sandstone which has a greenish color. This term is specifically applied to shallow marine sediment that contains noticeable quantities of rounded greenish grains. These grains are called ''glauconies'' and c ...
ridge, and to the north-east of the town 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 ...
in
West Kent Kent is a traditional county in South East England with long-established human occupation. Prehistoric Kent Kent has been occupied since the Lower Palaeolithic as finds from the quarries at Fordwich and Swanscombe attest. The Swanscombe skul ...
.


History

In early documents the name of the village is often given as 'Sele', 'Sale', 'Zela' or 'La Sela'. Until recently it was thought to come from the French word 'salle' meaning a hall but there is no evidence to support this. Etymologists suggest that the name of the village could have come from the Anglo-Saxon word 'sole' or 'sol' meaning a 'muddy slough, wallowing place' or a 'muddy pond that overflows'. Seal still has a pond at the fork at the bottom of Park Lane which tends to overflow at the present day. Another possibility is Anglo-Saxon ''sēale'' = "group of
sallow Willows, also called sallows and osiers, from the genus ''Salix'', comprise around 400 speciesMabberley, D.J. 1997. The Plant Book, Cambridge University Press #2: Cambridge. of typically deciduous trees and shrubs, found primarily on moist ...
trees". Seal's church, the oldest parts of which date from the 13th Century, is dedicated to St Peter and St Paul and is a grade I listed building. The ecclesiastical parish only became separate from
Kemsing Kemsing is a village and civil parish in the Sevenoaks district of Kent, England. The parish lies on the scarp face of the North Downs, 20 miles south east of Central London, north east of Sevenoaks. Also in the parish are the hamlets of Heave ...
in 1874, although there may well have been a
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 on the site of the present building. Visitors to the church, which is normally open during the day, can pick up a free guide leaflet pointing out features of interest. There are more details on the church website, and a page for family historians with some records of burials and baptisms at the church (not complete) and information about where to find others. Today, the ecclesiastical parish boundary meanders north of the village along the Guzzlebrook stream and extends south through the village, bounded on the eastern side by Watery Lane,
Seal Chart Seal Chart is a village east of Sevenoaks in Kent, England. It is within the Sevenoaks local government district. It is in the civil parish of Seal Seal may refer to any of the following: Common uses * Pinniped, a diverse group of semi-aquat ...
, and Ash Platt Road to the west. It follows the course of Park Lane, Chance Wood, Grove Road, through
Godden Green Godden Green is a hamlet east of Sevenoaks in Kent, England. It is within the civil parish of Seal, in Sevenoaks District, on the eastern edge of Knole Park. There is a large green, and a Shepherd Neame public house, thBuck's Head The village i ...
, bounded at the south by the junction of Bitchet Green Road at Fawke Common. Seal was recorded in the
Domesday Book Domesday Book () – the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book" – is a manuscript record of the "Great Survey" of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 by order of King William I, known as William the Conqueror. The manusc ...
in 1086.


Geography

The main village lies on the
A25 road The A25 road is an east–west main road in the South-East of England. Its carries traffic east from Guildford, Surrey, eastward through Surrey and into mid-west Kent, to the town of Sevenoaks, and then on to Wrotham Heath where it connects wit ...
and has merged with the built-up area of Sevenoaks. The parish includes the separate smaller settlements of Underriver, Stone Street,
Godden Green Godden Green is a hamlet east of Sevenoaks in Kent, England. It is within the civil parish of Seal, in Sevenoaks District, on the eastern edge of Knole Park. There is a large green, and a Shepherd Neame public house, thBuck's Head The village i ...
and Bitchet Green.


Village facilities

Seal retains a village library which is operated by
Kent County Council Kent County Council is a county council that governs most of the county of Kent in England. It is the upper tier of elected local government, below which are 12 district councils, and around 300 town and parish councils. The county council h ...
; the library offers
telecottage ''Telecottage'' is usually a community based facility that is there to assist learning, access to technology, access to work etc. for its local community. The Telecottages movement started in Sweden and the idea has been taken up quite widely, nota ...
services. There are three community halls in the village; Seal Pavilion, Seal Village Hall, and Seal Church Hall. Along the High Street there are a variety of shops, businesses, and restaurants. There is only one pub now in Seal. "The Five Bells" in Church Street is managed by Shepherd Neame Brewery and is open every day. The name for the pub comes from the fact that there were originally five bells installed in the belltower at St Peter & St Paul's Church, given its close proximity to the church (there are now six bells installed in the belltower). Seal Recreation Ground (locally known as the Rec) lies to the west of the village and offers public amenity space for sports and leisure activities. During the summer months various events are held on the Rec, such as the SealFest Music Festival day and Big Lunch events. Seal Village has a stretch of land running alongside the Rec which was left in trust to the villagers for allotment gardens that are also used by surrounding villagers.


Public transport

There are several bus routes that connect Seal with surrounding villages and towns. The
Arriva Arriva plc is a British multinational public transport company headquartered in Sunderland, England.Sevenoaks station, Bat & Ball,
Borough Green Borough Green is situated in the borough of Tonbridge and Malling in Kent, England. The central area is situated on the A25 road between Maidstone and Sevenoaks, with the M26 motorway running through the centre dividing Wrotham and Borough Green. ...
,
Meopham Meopham is a large linear village and civil parish in the Borough of Gravesham in Kent, England, lying to the south of Gravesend. The parish covers , and comprises two villages and two smaller settlements; it has a population of 6,427 increasi ...
and
Gravesend Gravesend is a town in northwest Kent, England, situated 21 miles (35 km) east-southeast of Charing Cross (central London) on the Bank (geography), south bank of the River Thames and opposite Tilbury in Essex. Located in the diocese of Ro ...
. The
Arriva Arriva plc is a British multinational public transport company headquartered in Sunderland, England.Kemsing Kemsing is a village and civil parish in the Sevenoaks district of Kent, England. The parish lies on the scarp face of the North Downs, 20 miles south east of Central London, north east of Sevenoaks. Also in the parish are the hamlets of Heave ...
, Sevenoaks station, and
Dunton Green Dunton Green is a small village and civil parish in the Sevenoaks District of Kent, England. It lies in the valley of the River Darent, north of the town of Sevenoaks. Dunton Green is designated as being part of the Kent Downs area of outstandin ...
. An extended service of this route is operated by Go Coach on Saturdays. There are also some infrequent bus services, such as the Go Coach 404, connecting Seal to
Shipbourne Shipbourne ( ) is a village and civil parish situated between the towns of Sevenoaks and Tonbridge, in the borough of Tonbridge and Malling in the English county of Kent. In 2020 it was named as the most expensive village in Kent. It is located i ...
,
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. ...
, Ivy Hatch (for Ightham Mote), Stone Street, Kippington,
Ide Hill Ide Hill is a village within the civil parish of Sundridge with Ide Hill, in the Sevenoaks District of Kent, England. It stands on one of the highest points of the Greensand Ridge about three miles south-west of Sevenoaks. Its name first appear ...
, 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 ...
. There are currently no buses serving Seal on Sundays or public holidays, also there are no direct buses to Otford Sainsbury's. The closest railway stations to the village are at Bat & Ball and
Kemsing Kemsing is a village and civil parish in the Sevenoaks district of Kent, England. The parish lies on the scarp face of the North Downs, 20 miles south east of Central London, north east of Sevenoaks. Also in the parish are the hamlets of Heave ...
.


Notable people

*
Emma Corrin Emma-Louise Corrin (born 13 December 1995) is an English actor. They portrayed Diana, Princess of Wales in the fourth season of the Netflix historical drama ''The Crown'' (2020), for which they won a Golden Globe, a Critics' Choice Award, ...
(born 1995), actress who portrayed
Diana, Princess of Wales Diana, Princess of Wales (born Diana Frances Spencer; 1 July 1961 – 31 August 1997) was a member of the British royal family. She was the first wife of King Charles III (then Prince of Wales) and mother of Princes William and Harry. Her ac ...
in ''
The Crown The Crown is the state in all its aspects within the jurisprudence of the Commonwealth realms and their subdivisions (such as the Crown Dependencies, overseas territories, provinces, or states). Legally ill-defined, the term has different ...
'' * David Fursdon (born 1952), cricketer and the current Lord-Lieutenant of Devon


Nearest settlements


References


External links

*
Seal parish council

Notes on Seal

St Peter and St Paul's church, Seal
{{authority control Villages in Kent Civil parishes in Kent