| Goudhurst | |
|---|---|
 High Street, Goudhurst | |
  Goudhurst Location withinKent | |
| Population | 3,204 [1] 3,327 (2011 Census)[2] (Parish includes villages ofHorden andKilndown) |
| OS grid reference | TQ725375 |
| Civil parish |
|
| District | |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | CRANBROOK |
| Postcode district | TN17 |
| Dialling code | 01580 |
| Police | Kent |
| Fire | Kent |
| Ambulance | South East Coast |
| UK Parliament | |
| 51°06′40″N0°27′49″E / 51.1112°N 0.4636°E /51.1112; 0.4636 | |
Goudhurst is a village andcivil parish in theborough of Tunbridge Wells inKent, England. It lies in theWeald, around 12 miles (19 km) south ofMaidstone, on the crossroads of theA262 and B2079.
The parish consists of three wards: Goudhurst,Kilndown andCurtisden Green. Hamlets includeBedgebury Cross, Iden Green, Stonecrouch and Winchet Hill.
The word Goudhurst is derived from Goud Hurst, the "Good Hurst" (an opening in a forest)[3] due to the hill's strategic position within the local landscape. A less plausible (but attractive) derivation is theOld Englishguo hyrst, meaningBattle Hill, or the wooded hill on which abattle has been fought. The name apparently commemorates a battle fought on this high ground inSaxon times. The spelling has evolved over the centuries: Gmthhyrste (c. 1100), Guthurst or Guhthersts (c. 1200), Gudhersts (1232), Guthhurste (1278), Goutherst (1316), Goodherst (1610), then the current-day spelling.[4]
The village was one of those involved in theWealden iron industry; it was a centre for the growing ofhops and for weaving. A group of weavers' cottages stands opposite the church.
TheBattle of Goudhurst in 1747 led to the end of theHawkhurst Gang ofsmugglers and the execution of local gang leaderThomas Kingsmill whose body was hung in chains in the village.[5]
The village's recent history is documented in theGoudhurst Jubilee Book (1935),Goudhurst Coronation Book (1937) andGoudhurst andKilndown Millennium Book (2001,ISBN 0-9527822-1-9) which contain reminiscences, directories, historical notes, matters of local intelligence and records of celebrations starting from the 1800s or before. The books were printed as limited editions with the authors recording the written and the oral history of the village.
In 2023 Peter A Harding published "After the War was Over" (2023)ISBN 978-1-3999-5260-6 which captures his memories of an idyllic childhood at Goudhurst during the late 1940s and early 1950s.
The church stands on a hill and its tower commands views of the surrounding countryside. For this reason it was a major surveying point in theAnglo-French Survey (1784–1790) to measure the precise distance and relationship between theParis Observatory and theRoyal Greenwich Observatory, supervised by GeneralWilliam Roy. Sightings were made toFrant to the west,Tenterden to the east,Wrotham Hill to the north andFairlight Down to the south.[citation needed]
St Mary's church was founded in 1170 by Robert de Crevecour.[6] The church has been altered and restored many times over the centuries. Until 1637 it had a tall spire which was destroyed by lightning in that year. In 1638 three London masons rebuilt the west tower.[7] During theVictorian era the church wasrestored by the architectsWilliam Slater andRichard Carpenter.[8] The church contains a remarkable painted wood andgesso effigy to Sir Alexander Culpeper (d.1599) and his wife Constance.[9]
Bedgebury is one of the oldest estates inKent: having given its name to the de Bedgebury family, it passed into the hands of the Culpeper family in 1450. When the estate was sold in 1680, a new house was built which itself became a girls' school in the 1920s (closed in the summer of 2006). In 2007 the school was purchased by the BellEducational Trust, an educational charity. In the summer of 2007 the school reopened as the Bell Bedgebury International School, and the grounds also played host to the Bell Bedgebury Language Centre. In November 2010, the owners decided to close and sell the school.[10] – the riding school and 125 acres were sold separately and are now independent.[11]Bedgebury Pinetum is nearby. It was acquired by theForestry Commission in 1924.
A former Glebe Field at the East end of St Mary's Church was registered as a village green by Kent County Council in June 2016. It is 2.47 acres in extent and is surrounded by trees and hedges. It is owned by the Diocese of Canterbury and is maintained by Goudhurst Parish Council which has a long lease for this purpose. A volunteer group called The Friends of Goudhurst Village Green has been established with the aim to protect and preserve Goudhurst Village Green for the use of the residents of Goudhurst Parish by right, for lawful sports and pastimes, in perpetuity. St Mary's Church is permitted to use the village green for parking for occasional events such as large weddings and funerals.
In the past, the branch railway line fromPaddock Wood had astation for the village. It was opened on 1 October 1892 and was originally named 'Hope Mill for Goudhurst andLamberhurst' before being renamed to 'Goudhurst' on 4 September 1893, the day the final part of the line came into service – the extension toHawkhurst viaCranbrook; physically, the station was about half a mile from the centre of Goudhurst, and somewhat further from Lamberhurst. The station was closed on 12 June 1961 because of lack of use, passenger numbers having dropped to fewer than 200 per day. The track was lifted in 1964, and in 1967 the station sites were offered for sale.
At present, the only public transport for Goudhurst are two bus routes operated byArriva Southern Counties – the 26 toMaidstone, and the 297 which runs toTunbridge Wells in the west andTenterden andAshford in the east.
The village is in theCranbrook School catchment area.
Newspapers available in Goudhurst are the free and Maidstone extra owned byKM Group and yourtunbridgewells and yourmaidstone both owned byKOS Media
The Local radio station isKMFM West Kent howeverKMFM Maidstone is also available. County-wide stationsHeart South,Gold andBBC Radio Kent are available.
Places adjacent to Goudhurst | |
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