Paddock Wood
Encyclopedia
Paddock Wood is a small town
and civil parish in the Borough of Tunbridge Wells
and county of Kent
in England
, about 8 miles (12.9 km) southwest of Maidstone
. At the time of the 2001 census it had a population of 8,263, and is the centre for hop
growing in Kent
.
. There are several theories for the origin of the name "Paddock Wood"; it may have been derived from the nearby Manor of Parrock, or from the nearby woodland and paddocks. An alternative origin for the name of the town is said to stem from a time in the late 18th century when the large number of Romany men in the village were employed by the adjacent hop farms. Such was their reputation for being workshy and having their pay docked; that the local conurbation became known as Paydock Wood. By 1790, the owner of the Hop Farm
at East Peckham
was compelled to write in a pamphlet advertising for itinerant labourers. "They swarthy caravanners here not apply lest they welcome their pay docked when they doth lie" A railway station was opened here on 31 May 1842, on the South Eastern Railway
main line from London via Redhill
to Dover
.
In 1847 cottages had begun to appear, and by 1851 a fairly sizeable community had developed, and an Anglican church, St Andrew's, was built. In 1860 the area was separated ecclesiastically from Brenchley to form a Church of England parish. The area around Paddock Wood has always had a history of hop farming, and in the growth of the town is partly due to the seasonal influx of hop pickers, and at the height of the season up to 8,000 people would arrive to work on the farms.
In August 1896, the first speeding offence in the United Kingdom was committed in Paddock Wood when Walter Arnold of East Peckham
was chased by a police constable on a bicycle
and apprehended for driving at 8 miles per hour (12.9 km/h) in his Benz motor-car. The speed limit in force at the time was 2 miles per hour (3.2 km/h). Mr Arnold was fined 1s
at Tonbridge
Magistrates Court.
On 19 May 1929, Farman F.63bis Goliath F-GEAI of Air Union
, whilst on a flight from Croydon
to Paris, crashed at Keylands Sidings near Paddock Wood railway station, it stopped yards from the signal box and was destroyed by fire, the pilot and mechanic escaped with minor injuries.
On 9 December 1944 near Faenza, Italy, a 22-year-old Captain in the British Army, John Brunt
, whose parents came from Paddock Wood, held off a German counter-attack and remained behind while giving covering fire that enabled his men to safely withdraw, and was awarded the Victoria Cross
. After the war the Kent Arms public house in Paddock Wood was renamed the John Brunt VC in his honour. In 1997 the pub gained new management, and changed its name to the Hooden Horse but was forced to revert the name after local outrage (see main article John Brunt V.C. (public house)
).
The town of Paddockwood in Canada
was named by Fred Pitts who emigrated there from Paddock Wood.
to designate the parish as a "town" and thus the parish council is known as Paddock Wood Town Council. Since 2001 the parish has been divided into two wards (East and West) for the elections of parish councillors. There are 13 parish councillors, with 7 representing the East ward and 6 representing the West.
. The borough is governed by a 48 member council. The town elects 4 borough councillors, with 2 each for the Paddock Wood East and Paddock Wood West wards. They are all members of the majority Conservative Party
.
. The county council has 84 members, with each representing a electoral district. Paddock Wood forms part of the electoral district of Tunbridge Wells Rural.
The commercial areas of Paddock Wood are separated by the railway line.
To the South of the railway lies Commercial Road which runs north east to south west through the town, and is the main shopping street. At the north east end of the street is the entrance to the Railway Station. Commercial Road is home to the branches of several banks, a variety of take-aways, a restaurant and a number of small shops including Fishing Emporium. To the east of Commercial Road, runs Maidstone Road. This road runs north to Beltring
and East Peckham
, and south to Matfield
, and is the main route into and out of the town.
To the north of the railway line lie the industrial areas. Eldon Way Industrial Estate can be found to the east and is home to branches of Initial City Link and British Car Auctions
, among others. To the west is the larger Transfesa Road
and Paddock Wood Distribution Centre. This is the home to a number of companies including Norman Collett, CoolChain, Ketlon, Mack Multiples, Warburtons and a Whirlpool warehouse, which was destroyed in a large fire in early July 2005.
, A264
, A21 and A26 road
s. The A21 in the area suffers from congestion
and traffic problems.
, Matfield
, Capel
, Five Oak Green
, East Peckham
, Horsmonden
, Lamberhurst
and Yalding
, as well as Paddock Wood itself. The school has recently been extended with a purpose built Arts and Design block housing specialist facilities for Art, Music, Drama, Dance
and Design Technology.
Town
A town is a human settlement larger than a village but smaller than a city. The size a settlement must be in order to be called a "town" varies considerably in different parts of the world, so that, for example, many American "small towns" seem to British people to be no more than villages, while...
and civil parish in the Borough of Tunbridge Wells
Tunbridge Wells (borough)
Tunbridge Wells is a local government district and borough in Kent, England. It takes its name from its main town, Royal Tunbridge Wells.The district was formed on 1 April 1974, by the merger of the municipal borough of Royal Tunbridge Wells along with Southborough urban district, Cranbrook Rural...
and county 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...
in 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...
, about 8 miles (12.9 km) southwest of Maidstone
Maidstone
Maidstone is the county town of Kent, England, south-east of London. The River Medway runs through the centre of the town linking Maidstone to Rochester and the Thames Estuary. Historically, the river was a source and route for much of the town's trade. Maidstone was the centre of the agricultural...
. At the time of the 2001 census it had a population of 8,263, and is the centre for hop
Hops
Hops are the female flower clusters , of a hop species, Humulus lupulus. They are used primarily as a flavoring and stability agent in beer, to which they impart a bitter, tangy flavor, though hops are also used for various purposes in other beverages and herbal medicine...
growing in 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...
.
History
Paddock Wood formed part of the ancient parish of BrenchleyBrenchley
Brenchley is a village and civil parish in the Borough of Tunbridge Wells, Kent, England.-History:The name is historically derived from Branca's Leigh. The parish is located east of Tunbridge Wells, and south of Paddock Wood, and includes the neighbouring village of Matfield...
. There are several theories for the origin of the name "Paddock Wood"; it may have been derived from the nearby Manor of Parrock, or from the nearby woodland and paddocks. An alternative origin for the name of the town is said to stem from a time in the late 18th century when the large number of Romany men in the village were employed by the adjacent hop farms. Such was their reputation for being workshy and having their pay docked; that the local conurbation became known as Paydock Wood. By 1790, the owner of the Hop Farm
The Hop Farm Country Park
The Hop Farm Family Park is a Country Park in Beltring, near East Peckham in Kent, England, is over 450 years old, and has the largest collection of oast houses in the world.-History:...
at East Peckham
East Peckham
East Peckham is a village in Kent, England, made up of nine hamlets and situated about east of Tonbridge on the River Medway. It was the centre for the hop growing industry in Kent and is still home to the Hop Farm which has the world's largest collection of Oast Houses.-History:The Domesday entry...
was compelled to write in a pamphlet advertising for itinerant labourers. "They swarthy caravanners here not apply lest they welcome their pay docked when they doth lie" A railway station was opened here on 31 May 1842, on the South Eastern Railway
South Eastern Railway (UK)
The South Eastern Railway was a railway company in south-eastern England from 1836 until 1922. The company was formed to construct a route from London to Dover. Branch lines were later opened to Tunbridge Wells, Hastings, Canterbury and other places in Kent...
main line from London via Redhill
Redhill, Surrey
Redhill is a town in the borough of Reigate and Banstead, Surrey, England and is part of the London commuter belt. Redhill and the adjacent town of Reigate form a single urban area.-History:...
to Dover
Dover
Dover is a town and major ferry port in the home county of Kent, in South East England. It faces France across the narrowest part of the English Channel, and lies south-east of Canterbury; east of Kent's administrative capital Maidstone; and north-east along the coastline from Dungeness and Hastings...
.
In 1847 cottages had begun to appear, and by 1851 a fairly sizeable community had developed, and an Anglican church, St Andrew's, was built. In 1860 the area was separated ecclesiastically from Brenchley to form a Church of England parish. The area around Paddock Wood has always had a history of hop farming, and in the growth of the town is partly due to the seasonal influx of hop pickers, and at the height of the season up to 8,000 people would arrive to work on the farms.
In August 1896, the first speeding offence in the United Kingdom was committed in Paddock Wood when Walter Arnold of East Peckham
East Peckham
East Peckham is a village in Kent, England, made up of nine hamlets and situated about east of Tonbridge on the River Medway. It was the centre for the hop growing industry in Kent and is still home to the Hop Farm which has the world's largest collection of Oast Houses.-History:The Domesday entry...
was chased by a police constable on a bicycle
Bicycle
A bicycle, also known as a bike, pushbike or cycle, is a human-powered, pedal-driven, single-track vehicle, having two wheels attached to a frame, one behind the other. A person who rides a bicycle is called a cyclist, or bicyclist....
and apprehended for driving at 8 miles per hour (12.9 km/h) in his Benz motor-car. The speed limit in force at the time was 2 miles per hour (3.2 km/h). Mr Arnold was fined 1s
Shilling
The shilling is a unit of currency used in some current and former British Commonwealth countries. The word shilling comes from scilling, an accounting term that dates back to Anglo-Saxon times where it was deemed to be the value of a cow in Kent or a sheep elsewhere. The word is thought to derive...
at Tonbridge
Tonbridge
Tonbridge is a market town in the English county of Kent, with a population of 30,340 in 2007. It is located on the River Medway, approximately 4 miles north of Tunbridge Wells, 12 miles south west of Maidstone and 29 miles south east of London...
Magistrates Court.
On 19 May 1929, Farman F.63bis Goliath F-GEAI of Air Union
Air Union
Air Union was a French airline established 1 January 1923 as the result of a merger between the airlines Compagnie des Messageries Aériennes and Compagnie des Grands Express Aériens...
, whilst on a flight from Croydon
Croydon Airport
Croydon Airport was an airport in South London which straddled the boundary between what are now the London boroughs of Croydon and Sutton. It was the main airport for London before it was replaced by Northolt Aerodrome, London Heathrow Airport and London Gatwick Airport...
to Paris, crashed at Keylands Sidings near Paddock Wood railway station, it stopped yards from the signal box and was destroyed by fire, the pilot and mechanic escaped with minor injuries.
John Henry Cound Brunt
Captain John Henry Cound Brunt VC, MC was an English recipient of the Victoria Cross, the most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces...
, whose parents came from Paddock Wood, held off a German counter-attack and remained behind while giving covering fire that enabled his men to safely withdraw, and was awarded the Victoria Cross
Victoria Cross
The Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth countries, and previous British Empire territories....
. After the war the Kent Arms public house in Paddock Wood was renamed the John Brunt VC in his honour. In 1997 the pub gained new management, and changed its name to the Hooden Horse but was forced to revert the name after local outrage (see main article John Brunt V.C. (public house)
John Brunt V.C. (public house)
The John Brunt V.C. is a public house in Paddock Wood in Kent. Originally named The Kent Arms, on 3 September 1947 the pub was formally renamed John Brunt V.C. in honour of an English soldier, John Brunt, who won the Victoria Cross in the Second World War who spent his teenage years in the town...
).
The town of Paddockwood in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
was named by Fred Pitts who emigrated there from Paddock Wood.
Government
Paddock Wood has three tiers of local government: parish or town, district or borough and county.Town council
Paddock Wood is a civil parish, formed in 1955 out of Brenchley. The parish council has used its powers under the Local Government Act 1972Local Government Act 1972
The Local Government Act 1972 is an Act of Parliament in the United Kingdom that reformed local government in England and Wales on 1 April 1974....
to designate the parish as a "town" and thus the parish council is known as Paddock Wood Town Council. Since 2001 the parish has been divided into two wards (East and West) for the elections of parish councillors. There are 13 parish councillors, with 7 representing the East ward and 6 representing the West.
Borough council
Since 1974 Paddock Wood has formed part of the Borough of Tunbridge WellsTunbridge Wells (borough)
Tunbridge Wells is a local government district and borough in Kent, England. It takes its name from its main town, Royal Tunbridge Wells.The district was formed on 1 April 1974, by the merger of the municipal borough of Royal Tunbridge Wells along with Southborough urban district, Cranbrook Rural...
. The borough is governed by a 48 member council. The town elects 4 borough councillors, with 2 each for the Paddock Wood East and Paddock Wood West wards. They are all members of the majority Conservative Party
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
.
County council
The upper tier of local government is provided by Kent County CouncilKent County Council
Kent County Council is the county council that governs the majority of the county of Kent in England. It provides the upper tier of local government, below which are 12 district councils, and around 300 town and parish councils. The county council has 84 elected councillors...
. The county council has 84 members, with each representing a electoral district. Paddock Wood forms part of the electoral district of Tunbridge Wells Rural.
Geography
To the South of the railway lies Commercial Road which runs north east to south west through the town, and is the main shopping street. At the north east end of the street is the entrance to the Railway Station. Commercial Road is home to the branches of several banks, a variety of take-aways, a restaurant and a number of small shops including Fishing Emporium. To the east of Commercial Road, runs Maidstone Road. This road runs north to Beltring
Beltring
Beltring is a village in the local government district of Tonbridge and Malling in Kent, England.Beltring is known for the annual War and peace show which takes place at The Hop Farm Country Park...
and East Peckham
East Peckham
East Peckham is a village in Kent, England, made up of nine hamlets and situated about east of Tonbridge on the River Medway. It was the centre for the hop growing industry in Kent and is still home to the Hop Farm which has the world's largest collection of Oast Houses.-History:The Domesday entry...
, and south to Matfield
Matfield
Matfield is a small village, part of the civil parish of Brenchley, in the Tunbridge Wells Borough of Kent, England. The sculptor Theresa Sassoon planted a tree on the green to commemorate the end of World War I; the tree was blown down in the hurricane of 1987 and had to be replaced...
, and is the main route into and out of the town.
To the north of the railway line lie the industrial areas. Eldon Way Industrial Estate can be found to the east and is home to branches of Initial City Link and British Car Auctions
British Car Auctions
BCA Europe , is the largest vehicle remarketing business in Europe, with an annual turnover in excess of £4 billion.-History:...
, among others. To the west is the larger Transfesa Road
Transfesa
Transfesa is a transport company based in Madrid, Spain.-Company description:Transfesa it is a transport and logistics service provider and European intermodal operator....
and Paddock Wood Distribution Centre. This is the home to a number of companies including Norman Collett, CoolChain, Ketlon, Mack Multiples, Warburtons and a Whirlpool warehouse, which was destroyed in a large fire in early July 2005.
Culture and community
Mascalls Gallery, a public art gallery opened in 2006 on the site of Mascalls School. It has a frequently changing programme of exhibition featuring national and international known artists. These have included Henry Moore, LS Lowry, Graham Sutherland and Lee Miller as well as artists from Latin America, Japan and America! In 2010 Mascalls Gallery exhibited for the first time in the UK drawings by Marc Chagall for nearby Tudeley Church.Transport
Paddock Wood is on the B2160 and B2161 roads and not to far from the A228A228 road
The A228 road is an important transport artery in Kent, England. It begins at the Isle of Grain and runs in a south-westerly direction to connect eventually with the A21 trunk road at Pembury. It serves existing communities and new and proposed housing developments and commercial enterprises...
, A264
A264 road
The A264 is an east-west road in southern England that runs from Pembury in west Kent to Five Oaks in West Sussex.There have been a number of notable changes in this important east-west route which follows the north Sussex border with Kent and Surrey....
, A21 and A26 road
A26 road
For the road in Northern Ireland see A26 road The A26 road is one of the three cross-country two-digit numbered roads in the southeast of England, the others being the A25 road and A27 road. It carries traffic from Maidstone in Kent in a generally south-westerly direction to Tunbridge Wells and...
s. The A21 in the area suffers from congestion
Traffic congestion
Traffic congestion is a condition on road networks that occurs as use increases, and is characterized by slower speeds, longer trip times, and increased vehicular queueing. The most common example is the physical use of roads by vehicles. When traffic demand is great enough that the interaction...
and traffic problems.
Education
The town has two schools, Paddock Wood Primary School which was built in 1909, and which has approximately 600 pupils and Mascalls School, (a comprehensive secondary school), opened in 1956 and has around 1400 pupils, and it takes its pupils from BrenchleyBrenchley
Brenchley is a village and civil parish in the Borough of Tunbridge Wells, Kent, England.-History:The name is historically derived from Branca's Leigh. The parish is located east of Tunbridge Wells, and south of Paddock Wood, and includes the neighbouring village of Matfield...
, Matfield
Matfield
Matfield is a small village, part of the civil parish of Brenchley, in the Tunbridge Wells Borough of Kent, England. The sculptor Theresa Sassoon planted a tree on the green to commemorate the end of World War I; the tree was blown down in the hurricane of 1987 and had to be replaced...
, Capel
Capel, Kent
Capel is a village and civil parish in the Tunbridge Wells District of Kent, England. The parish is located on the north of the Weald, three miles to the east of Tonbridge....
, Five Oak Green
Five Oak Green
Five Oak Green is a village near Tonbridge, Kent in the parish of Capel. It was a centre for hop growing and in the 19th century" The Rose and crown" public house was converted to a hospital to treat the many hop pickers who resided in the village and its surroundings in the late summer...
, East Peckham
East Peckham
East Peckham is a village in Kent, England, made up of nine hamlets and situated about east of Tonbridge on the River Medway. It was the centre for the hop growing industry in Kent and is still home to the Hop Farm which has the world's largest collection of Oast Houses.-History:The Domesday entry...
, Horsmonden
Horsmonden
Horsmonden is a village in Kent, on the Weald. It is situated on a road leading from Maidstone to Lamberhurst, three miles north of the latter place. The nearest railway station is Paddock Wood, Horsmonden railway station having closed in 1961.- History :It was an important centre of the medieval...
, Lamberhurst
Lamberhurst
Lamberhurst is a village and civil parish in Kent although the latter parish was at first in both Kent and East Sussex. The line of the county border was adjusted following the Local Government Act 1894, which required that parish boundaries be aligned with counties...
and Yalding
Yalding
Yalding is a village and part of Yalding civil parish in the Maidstone District of Kent, England.The village is situated six miles south-west of Maidstone at a point where the Rivers Teise and Beult join the River Medway....
, as well as Paddock Wood itself. The school has recently been extended with a purpose built Arts and Design block housing specialist facilities for Art, Music, Drama, Dance
and Design Technology.
Notable people
Notable people from Paddock Wood include- Philip Martin BrownPhilip Martin BrownPhilip Martin Brown is an English actor, born in Manchester. He has starred in many TV shows and movies in a career that has spanned nearly four decades...
(b 1956), actor, lives in Paddock Wood - John Brunt VCVictoria CrossThe Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth countries, and previous British Empire territories....
(1922–44), soldier, lived in Paddock Wood - Frederick E. MorganFrederick E. MorganLieutenant General Sir Frederick Edgeworth Morgan KCB was a British Army officer who fought in the First World War and the Second World War...
(1894–1967), Army officer, born in Paddock Wood - Wayne Pilbeam (b 1973), actor, born in Paddock Wood.
- Sammy RimingtonSammy RimingtonSamuel 'Sammy' Rimington , is an English jazz reed player. He has been an active New Orleans jazz revivalist since the late 1950s....
(b 1942), jazz musician, born in Paddock Wood - Daniel Grimwood (b 1976), pianist, lives in Paddock Wood