Pluckley
Encyclopedia
Pluckley is a village
and civil parish
in the Ashford
District of Kent
, United Kingdom
. It is located close to the North Downs
, and is approximately 5 miles (8 km) west of Ashford
. One part of the village is called Pluckley Thorne.
References to Pluckley can be found in the Domesday Book
, at which time it was a more significant settlement than the now considerably larger town
of Ashford.
, is served by Pluckley railway station
, about 1.25 miles (2 km) to the south and lies on the long distance walking route, the Greensand Way
and close to the Stour Valley Walk
.
drama series, The Darling Buds of May
, was filmed in the village (doubling for Sidcup
).
Pluckley was also featured on an episode of BBC's Top Gear
. Two of the presenters, James May
and Richard Hammond
, were filming a review of the Smart Forfour
. The presenters spent 24 consecutive hours in the car, spending the night in the Screaming Woods.
Pluckley was also featured on an episode of Sunday Night Project where Justin Lee Collins
and Alan Carr
with their guest host Will Young
investigated a mill in Pluckley and also stayed in a tent overnight in the Screaming Woods.
Ghost Hunters International
recently did three investigations in Pluckley.
Most Haunted: Midsummer Murders
conducted an investigation of the murdered highwayman Robert Du Bois in the Screaming Woods.
Local radio network KMFM broadcast their Hallowe'en special - "Frightday Night" - in 2009 from the Black Horse Inn, and also explored the Screaming Woods.
The village featured on the BBC Radio 4
show Open County in which Helen Mark investigated the hauntings of the village and their effects of village life.
Sir Edward Dering, 1st Baronet is buried here. The Dering Manuscript, the earliest extant manuscript text of any Shakespearean play, was discovered at Surrenden Manor in Pluckley. The manuscript provides a single-play version of both Part 1 and Part 2 of Henry IV. The consensus of Shakespeare scholars is that the Dering MS represents a redaction prepared around 1613, perhaps for family or amateur theatrics, by Edward Dering (1598–1644) of Surrenden Manor.
Pluckley also contains the workshop of a relatively unknown but prominent small silversmith company, named after the founders, Padgham & Putland Ltd. The workshop is situated on the main road, Forge Hill, in a building owned by the partners for nearly twenty years.
There are some old stories to be heard about "the highwayman"
During the summer months (last weekend in May to August's Bank Holiday Monday cream teas are served in the church from 2:30 to 5pm. Outside if fine, inside if wet or windy.
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
and civil parish
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 Ashford
Ashford (borough)
Ashford is a local government district and borough in Kent, England. Its council is based in the town of Ashford.The borough was formed on 1 April 1974 by the merger of the borough of Tenterden with Ashford urban district, and the East Ashford, West Ashford and Tenterden Rural Districts...
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...
, United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. It is located close to 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...
, and is approximately 5 miles (8 km) west of Ashford
Ashford, Kent
Ashford is a town in the borough of Ashford in Kent, England. In 2005 it was voted the fourth best place to live in the United Kingdom. It lies on the Great Stour river, the M20 motorway, and the South Eastern Main Line and High Speed 1 railways. Its agricultural market is one of the most...
. One part of the village is called Pluckley Thorne.
References to Pluckley can be found in the Domesday Book
Domesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
, at which time it was a more significant settlement than the now considerably larger town
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...
of Ashford.
Location
The village is approximately 5 miles (8 km) from the nearest junction of the M20 motorwayM20 motorway
The M20 is a motorway in Kent, England. It runs from the M25 motorway to Folkestone, providing a link to the Channel Tunnel and the ports at Dover. It is long...
, is served by Pluckley railway station
Pluckley railway station
Pluckley railway station serves Pluckley in Kent, and is located approximately 2 km south of the village. The station, and all trains serving it, are operated by Southeastern....
, about 1.25 miles (2 km) to the south and lies on the long distance walking route, the Greensand Way
Greensand Way
The Greensand Way is long distance walk of in southeast England, from Haslemere in Surrey to Hamstreet in Kent. It follows the Greensand Ridge along the Surrey Hills and Chart Hills. The route is mostly rural, passing through woods, and alongside fruit orchards and hop farms in Kent and links...
and close to the Stour Valley Walk
Stour Valley Walk
The Stour Valley Walk is a recreational walking route that follows the River Stour, through the Low Weald and Kent Downs, from its source at Lenham to its estuary at Pegwell Bay....
.
Appearances in the Media
The ITVITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
drama series, The Darling Buds of May
The Darling Buds of May
The Darling Buds of May is a British comedy drama which was first broadcast between 1991 and 1993 produced by Yorkshire Television for the ITV Network. It is set in an idyllic rural 1950s Kent, among a large, boisterous family. The three series were based on the novels by H. E. Bates. Originally...
, was filmed in the village (doubling for Sidcup
Sidcup
Sidcup is a district in South East London in the London Borough of Bexley and small parts of the district in the London Borough of Greenwich.Located south east of Charing Cross, Sidcup is bordered by the London Boroughs of Greenwich and Bromley and Kent County Council, and whilst now part of...
).
Pluckley was also featured on an episode of BBC's Top Gear
Top Gear (current format)
Top Gear is a British television series about motor vehicles, primarily cars. It began in 1977 as a conventional motoring magazine show. Over time, and especially since a relaunch in 2002, it has developed a quirky, humorous style...
. Two of the presenters, James May
James May
James Daniel May is an English television presenter, journalist and writer. He is best known for his role as co-presenter of the award-winning motoring programme Top Gear alongside Jeremy Clarkson and Richard Hammond....
and Richard Hammond
Richard Hammond
Richard Mark Hammond is an English broadcaster, writer, and journalist most noted for co-hosting car programme Top Gear with Jeremy Clarkson and James May, as well as presenting Brainiac: Science Abuse on Sky 1.-Early life:...
, were filming a review of the Smart Forfour
Smart Forfour
The Smart Forfour was a supermini produced by Smart between April 2004 and June 2006. Unlike the other models of the marque, the Forfour was a more conventional five-door hatchback with a relatively roomy interior, available as a four-/five-seater....
. The presenters spent 24 consecutive hours in the car, spending the night in the Screaming Woods.
Pluckley was also featured on an episode of Sunday Night Project where Justin Lee Collins
Justin Lee Collins
Justin Lee Collins, commonly known as JLC, is an award-winning English comedian and television presenter.A Bristolian, he's well known for his strong West Country accent, shaggy appearance and colourful shirts....
and Alan Carr
Alan Carr
Alan Carr is an English comedian and television personality. Born in Weymouth, he was raised in Northampton before moving to Manchester during his early 20's....
with their guest host Will Young
Will Young
William Robert "Will" Young is a British singer-songwriter and actor who came to prominenceafter winning the 2002 inaugural series of the British music contest Pop Idol, making him the first winner of the now-worldwide Idols-format franchise...
investigated a mill in Pluckley and also stayed in a tent overnight in the Screaming Woods.
Ghost Hunters International
Ghost Hunters International
Ghost Hunters International is a spin-off series of Ghost Hunters that airs on Syfy. The series premiered on January 9, 2008...
recently did three investigations in Pluckley.
Most Haunted: Midsummer Murders
Most Haunted: Midsummer Murders
Most Haunted: Midsummer Murders is a spin-off series of the paranormal television series, Most Haunted. It ran on LivingTV between 19 June 2007 and 7 August 2007.- Idea :...
conducted an investigation of the murdered highwayman Robert Du Bois in the Screaming Woods.
Local radio network KMFM broadcast their Hallowe'en special - "Frightday Night" - in 2009 from the Black Horse Inn, and also explored the Screaming Woods.
The village featured on the BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the...
show Open County in which Helen Mark investigated the hauntings of the village and their effects of village life.
Sir Edward Dering, 1st Baronet is buried here. The Dering Manuscript, the earliest extant manuscript text of any Shakespearean play, was discovered at Surrenden Manor in Pluckley. The manuscript provides a single-play version of both Part 1 and Part 2 of Henry IV. The consensus of Shakespeare scholars is that the Dering MS represents a redaction prepared around 1613, perhaps for family or amateur theatrics, by Edward Dering (1598–1644) of Surrenden Manor.
Attractions
One of Pluckley's more recent (and lesser known) claims to fame is that although it is very small, it has two independent coffee producers located in the village. There is a small gourmet coffee roastery on Forge Hill, and a coffee and tea merchant at Pivington Mill (Kent Tea & Trading Company) producing Pluckley Tea.Pluckley also contains the workshop of a relatively unknown but prominent small silversmith company, named after the founders, Padgham & Putland Ltd. The workshop is situated on the main road, Forge Hill, in a building owned by the partners for nearly twenty years.
There are some old stories to be heard about "the highwayman"
During the summer months (last weekend in May to August's Bank Holiday Monday cream teas are served in the church from 2:30 to 5pm. Outside if fine, inside if wet or windy.
External links
- MyAshford.com's Guide to Pluckley
- Village website
- Haunted Pluckley Mysterious Britain & Ireland