Bethersden 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. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...

in the

borough of Ashford The Borough of Ashford is a Non-metropolitan district, local government district with Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough status in Kent, England. It is named after its largest town, Ashford, Kent, Ashford, where the council is based. Th ...

Kent Kent is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Essex across the Thames Estuary to the north, the Strait of Dover to the south-east, East Sussex to the south-west, Surrey to the west, and Gr ...

, England, west of the town of Ashford. Located on the main road, A28, between

Tenterden Tenterden is a town and civil parish in the Borough of Ashford in Kent, England. The 2021 census published the population of the parish to be 8,186. Geography Tenterden is connected to Kent's county town of Maidstone by the A262 road an ...

and Ashford. The village has an active community, including a small primary school,

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

team,

cricket Cricket is a Bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball game played between two Sports team, teams of eleven players on a cricket field, field, at the centre of which is a cricket pitch, pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two Bail (cr ...

team and tennis club by the park. Bethersden was formerly the centre of the Kentish wool trade. Bethersden was the seat of the Lovelace family, at what is now Lovelace Court, which included William Lovelace (MP), and the 17th-century poet Richard Lovelace. The Bethersden Parish Records Society holds the original parish register, maps, books, photographs and other records relating to the village.

Bethersden Marble

Bethersden has long been associated with the material known as Bethersden Marble which was quarried until the 19th century and used in many of Kent's churches and cathedrals. The name 'marble' is misleading because it is a limestone packed with fossilized gastropod shells which polish well, hence the use of the term.

Churches

*St Margaret's Church, built in the early 15th century. *Baptist church (Union Chapel).

Economy

Several successful businesses have operated from the village: Stevenson Brothers, who produce high-quality handmade rocking horses; W & D Cole, who make iron gates and railings; and the former Colt Houses, who sold prefabricated timber homes. The village has three public houses, The Bull, The George and The Pig & Sty. The George had closed in 2020, but was purchased an
re-opened in May 2023
by a community grou
The George Community
after they raised over £300,000 with locals buying shares.

Gallery

File:St Margaret, Bethersden, Kent - East window - geograph.org.uk - 324107.jpg, St Margaret - East window File:The Oast, Lovelace Farm, Bethersden, Kent - geograph.org.uk - 1136933.jpg, The Oast, Lovelace Farm File:Plurenden Manor Farm - geograph.org.uk - 339913.jpg, Plurenden Manor Farm

References

External links

Bethersden Parish Council websiteBethersden page of Ashford Council web site
Villages in Kent Villages in the Borough of Ashford Civil parishes in Ashford, Kent {{Kent-geo-stub