| Hothfield | |
|---|---|
 St Margaret's Church, Hothfield | |
  Hothfield Location withinKent | |
| Area | 9.59 km2 (3.70 sq mi) |
| Population | 780 (Civil Parish 2011)[1] |
| • Density | 81/km2 (210/sq mi) |
| OS grid reference | TQ970450 |
| Civil parish |
|
| District | |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | Ashford |
| Postcode district | TN26 |
| Dialling code | 01233 |
| Police | Kent |
| Fire | Kent |
| Ambulance | South East Coast |
| UK Parliament | |
| 51°10′12″N0°49′08″E / 51.1701°N 0.8190°E /51.1701; 0.8190 | |
Hothfield is a village andcivil parish in theAshford Borough ofKent, England and is 3 miles north-west ofAshford on the A20. It is split in two by Hothfield Common.
In Kent and East Sussex theOld English termhǣð, which becameheath in Modern English, was replaced by an unmutated form,hāð, which, over time, evolved intohoath. The village's name is therefore the old local dialect form ofHeathfield.[3]
In the north west isHothfield Common, 58hectares (143acres) ofheathland andlowlandvalleybogs: anature reserve managed by Kent Wildlife Trust,[4]
To the immediate south is the private parkland of the former Hothfield House. This area is crossed by theGreensand Way passing the church en route to Godinton House. A small part of the neighbourhood ofRam Lane is in the far northern point of the civil parish. Small tributaries of theWest Stour rise in the parish.
The village has a shop and post office with internal ATM service. Hothfield Common has a children's playground and a multi-use all-weather games pitch adjacent to the south east and a car park to the north just off the A20. A village community centre, Hothfield Village Hall, is located on the edge of the village. The former school is now a children's centre, named the Bluebells Children Centre, run bySure Start. It runs parent and child groups and midwife and health visitors drop-in services.
Themedieval parishchurch is dedicated toSaint Margaret; it was rebuilt in 1598 after a fire.[5]
Edward Hasted'sTopography of Kent (1798) has a substantial amount of information about the history and the then layout of land and settlement.[6]
The village is approximately 1 kilometre (0.6 mi) south-east of theA20 road, and is south of theM20 with which has a short border to the far north. It is served by the 10X bus service operated byStagecoach South East, stopping on the junction of Cades Road and Station Road, as well as the 123 bus service stopping on School Road.
It was served byHothfield railway station on theMaidstone Line from 1884 until 1959. The nearest stations are nowAshford International andCharing.
