Chevening, Kent
Encyclopedia
Chevening is a village and civil parish
in the Sevenoaks
District of Kent
, England
. The parish is located to the north west of Sevenoaks
on the southern slopes of the North Downs
. The parish is a small one, being 6.5 miles (10.5 km) in length and 1 miles (1.6 km) wide. It has a population of 2,762. Apart from the village the remaining area is rural. Chevening House, looked after by the National Trust
, is located here. The Pilgrims' Way
crosses the parish. Close to Chevening, the path of Harold Godwinson
's army en route to the Battle of Hastings
in 1066, heading south along what is now Chipstead Lane, crosses William the Conqueror's route after the battle towards London
along the Pilgrim's Way.
The village of Chevening is also small. It stands on the upper reaches of the River Darent
. The village lies very close to the M25 motorway
. Its parish church is dedicated to St Botolph.
Chevening was served by a railway station
on the Westerham Valley Branch Line running between Westerham
and Dunton Green
: it opened in 1881 and closed in 1961.
Civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and, where they are found, the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties...
in the Sevenoaks
Sevenoaks (district)
Sevenoaks is a local government district covering the western most part of Kent in England. Its council is based in the town of Sevenoaks. It was formed on 1 April 1974, under the Local Government Act 1972, by a merger of the Sevenoaks Urban District, Sevenoaks Rural District and part of Dartford...
District of Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. The parish is located to the north west of Sevenoaks
Sevenoaks
Sevenoaks is a commuter town situated on the London fringe of west Kent, England, some 20 miles south-east of Charing Cross, on one of the principal commuter rail lines from the capital...
on the southern slopes of the North Downs
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. The North Downs lie within two Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty , the Surrey Hills and the Kent Downs...
. The parish is a small one, being 6.5 miles (10.5 km) in length and 1 miles (1.6 km) wide. It has a population of 2,762. Apart from the village the remaining area is rural. Chevening House, looked after by the National Trust
National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty
The National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, usually known as the National Trust, is a conservation organisation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland...
, is located here. The Pilgrims' Way
Pilgrims' Way
The Pilgrims' Way is the historic route supposed to have been taken by pilgrims from Winchester in Hampshire, England, to the shrine of Thomas Becket at Canterbury in Kent...
crosses the parish. Close to Chevening, the path of Harold Godwinson
Harold Godwinson
Harold Godwinson was the last Anglo-Saxon King of England.It could be argued that Edgar the Atheling, who was proclaimed as king by the witan but never crowned, was really the last Anglo-Saxon king...
's army en route to the Battle of Hastings
Battle of Hastings
The Battle of Hastings occurred on 14 October 1066 during the Norman conquest of England, between the Norman-French army of Duke William II of Normandy and the English army under King Harold II...
in 1066, heading south along what is now Chipstead Lane, crosses William the Conqueror's route after the battle towards London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
along the Pilgrim's Way.
The village of Chevening is also small. It stands on the upper reaches of the River Darent
River Darent
The River Darent or River Darenth is a Kentish tributary of the River Thames in England. Its name is believed to be from a Celtic word meaning 'river where oak-trees grow'...
. The village lies very close to the M25 motorway
M25 motorway
The M25 motorway, or London Orbital, is a orbital motorway that almost encircles Greater London, England, in the United Kingdom. The motorway was first mooted early in the 20th century. A few sections, based on the now abandoned London Ringways plan, were constructed in the early 1970s and it ...
. Its parish church is dedicated to St Botolph.
Chevening was served by a railway station
Chevening Halt railway station
Chevening Halt is a now-closed intermediate railway station on the Westerham branch line in Kent.The line was built as single track with provision for double track. The station was built by South Eastern and Chatham Railway and opened on either 16 or 19 April 1906...
on the Westerham Valley Branch Line running between Westerham
Westerham
Westerham is a town and civil parish in the Sevenoaks District of Kent, in South East England with 5,000 people. The parish is south of the North Downs, ten miles west of Sevenoaks. It covers 5800 acres . It is recorded as early as the 9th century, and was mentioned in the Domesday Book in a...
and Dunton Green
Dunton Green
Dunton Green is a small village and civil parish in the Sevenoaks District of Kent, England, lying in the valley of the River Darent, three miles north of Sevenoaks. The original ecclesiastical parish of Dunton Green was part of Otford parish...
: it opened in 1881 and closed in 1961.