Lenham BusinessContents
Location
Facilities
History
Churches
The village
Midway between Ashford and Maidstone is the quaint and historic Kentish village of Lenham. It stands at the source of the River Great Stour on the southern side of the North Downs. It is also the source of the River Len, which flows in a westerly direction to join the River Medway at Maidstone.
Location
Travel just 8 miles south along the A20 from the county town of Maidstone to reach Lenham. Despite it's proximity to the major transport links of the M20, High Speed EuroRail Link and London - Ashford main line rail service, the village is peaceful and remains unspoilt. The square is surrounded by historic buildings some of which are timber framed.
Excellent free parking facilities exist in the Square and off the Maidstone Road.
Facilities
There is a primary school,and secondary school. (Swadelands) at Lenham
The village is well served by public transport, both bus and rail. Just over 60 Minutes to get to central London. The Channel Tunnel terminal at Cheriton is just 30 minutes away by car.
The new, purpose built, community centre provides up to date facilities, including a dedicated computer suite for residents. It is also the venue for a number of local groups.
There is an active Youth Club and a number of other youth organisations.
History
Lenham market dates back to 1088 when the village was an important crossroad settlement. written in the book of Domesday, Lerham and Lertham, no doubt corruptly for Leanham, by which name it is called in most of the ancient charters and deeds, as well before as since that time. It takes its name from the stream which rises in it, and ham, which signifies a town or village.Technically the fact that Lenham is allowed a market, makes it a town but the community have always desired to maintain its village status.
Six alms-houses, and a house for a governor, were founded by Anthony Honywood, esq. of Langley, in this county; for the building and endowing of which, he gave an estate in 1622, to this parish for ever, directing 40l. per annum to be paid out of it to six poor people inhabiting the alms-houses; and the remainder to be to the use of the governor, now vested in the minister and churchwardens, and of the annual produce of 50l.
THREE pounds per annum were given in 1720, by the REV. FRANCIS ROBINS, A.M. of Town Sutton, to the most indigent, honest, and industrious poor of Lenham, to be distributed yearly among them on March 11, by the minister and churchwardens, and now of that annual produce.
JOHN FOORD: late of Lenham, yeoman, by his will in 1766, gave to the minister and churchwardens of Lenham, and their successors for ever, the sum of £300. the interest of it to be paid to a fit and proper schoolmaster, to be appointed by the said minister and churchwardens, to teach ten poor boys of Lenham, reading, writing, and accounts, now of the annual produce of £12.
The poor constantly relieved are about 120, and casually about 45.
The Pilgrims Way and more modern North Downs Way passes just to the north of Lenham, higher up on the 'downs' and it features a war memorial of a 200-footchalk cross carved into the scarp slope of the downs. First constructed in 1922, to remember those who fell in theGreat War, and fully restored in 1994, the cross now commemorates the dead of both world wars. To avoid its use as a navigation aid by the Luftwaffe, the cross was filled in between 1939 and May 1945.
On,27th August 1950 Lenham, along with the village of Harvel, was one of the signal receiving points (betweenCalais and London) of the first-ever live television pictures from the continent.
A pair of cottages in Lenham had to be demolished to make way for the Channel Tunnel Rail Link. They were dismantled and re-erected at the Museum of Kent life at Sandling.
Churches
The parish church is dedicated to St Mary, there has been a Church here in Saxon and Norman times the early building was destroyed
by fire in 1297. It was apparently a malicious act In 1298 Archbishop Winchelsea
came to Lenham in person and excommunicated the perpetrators of the
crime 'in absentia'.
The Church was rebuilt in the 14th Century. The only parts of the Norman building to survive are a piece of the wall in the corner of The Chapel of St. Edmund on the North East corner of the building and a column between the Chapel and the West end of the Chancel. In the tower is a ring of eight bells and includes a bell made in 1619 by the famous Kentish bell founder, Joseph Hatch. The largest bell, the tenor, weighs in at 21 cwt.
There is a United Reformed Church in the Maidstone Road, Lenham.