| Westerham | |
|---|---|
 A view across Westerham Green | |
  Westerham Location withinKent | |
| Population | 4,498 (2021) |
| OS grid reference | TQ445545 |
| Civil parish |
|
| District | |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | WESTERHAM |
| Postcode district | TN16 |
| Dialling code | 01959 |
| Police | Kent |
| Fire | Kent |
| Ambulance | South East Coast |
| UK Parliament | |
| 51°16′17″N0°04′12″E / 51.27134°N 0.07005°E /51.27134; 0.07005 | |
Westerham is a town andcivil parish in theSevenoaks District ofKent, England. It is located 3.4 miles east ofOxted and 6 miles west ofSevenoaks, adjacent to the Kent border with bothGreater London andSurrey.It is recorded as early as the 9th century, and was mentioned in theDomesday Book of 1086 in aNorman form,Oistreham (compareOuistreham in Normandy,Oistreham in 1086).Hām is Old English for a village or homestead, and so Westerham means awesterly homestead. TheRiver Darent flows through the town, and formerly powered threewatermills. The total population in 2021 was 4,498.[1]
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There is evidence that the area around Westerham has been settled for thousands of years: finds such as aCeltic fortification (c 2000 BC) and aRoman road are close by, along with the remains of a Roman encampment just past the ruins of atower south of the town at the summit of Tower Woods.[citation needed]
The tower dates back to the 18th century, and was originally constructed by the owners ofSquerryes Court as afolly for their children's amusement.[citation needed]
Themanor was originally run byGodwin, Earl of Wessex and later by his sonHarold Godwinson the lastSaxonKing of England. The first Norman lord of Westerham wasEustace II of Boulogne, and the town appears in theDomesday Book as Oistreham. By 1227Henry III granted Westerham a market charter, making the new village a major player in the buying and selling of cattle in Kent, a tradition that survived to 1961 when the last cattle market was held. St Mary's Church is thought to date from the 13th century,[2] although it was much altered inVictorian times. In 1503 theProtestant martyrJohn Frith was born in the town.
The church is unusual in that it displays the only known representation of aroyal arms of KingEdward VI (reigned 1547–1553) in a church. There is little doubt that it is the king's arms as the supporters are a lion and a dragon, and there is a curiousLatin phrase beside the arms: "VIVAT REX CURAT LEX" (Long live the King, custodian of the law). England did not have another male monarch until theUnion of the Crowns in 1603.[3]
In 1596, there was a peculiar subsidence of a hill measuring 80 by 28perches, which was transformed into a dale.[4]
James Wolfe was born in the town in 1727 at what is now known as the Old Vicarage due to a terrible storm on the night he was born. He lived in Quebec House—many streets and buildings are named after him and St Mary's contains not only the font in which he was baptised but also a memorial window to him byEdward Burne-Jones. The town square contains statues to both Wolfe andChurchill.
Interior and exterior scenes for the 2009BBC mini-seriesEmma were shot atSquerryes Court with the house appearing as Emma Woodhouse's home Hartfield, while exterior scenes were shot atChilham, Kent.[5]
Alice Liddell, cited as the inspiration forLewis Carroll's children's bookAlice's Adventures in Wonderland lived in the Vicarage for a brief period. Alice rented 'The Breaches' just before she died and then when she became very ill she went to stay with her sister Rhoda at Hoseyrigge in Westerham. She was born at Westminster and when she died aged 82 a memorial service was held for her at St Mary's Church. She was not buried in Westerham. Record producerBrian Higgins, whoseXenomania production team produced hit singles and albums for artists such asGirls Aloud,Kylie Minogue,Sugababes,Pet Shop Boys,Texas andFranz Ferdinand, now occupy what used to be known as the Old Vicarage.
BBC Children's TV foundersFreda Lingstrom andMaria Bird lived together in Westerham and named their production company Westerham Arts which was commissioned by the BBC to createThe Woodentops,Andy Pandy and theFlower Pot Men.[6]
During a January 1967 visit toKnole Park inSevenoaks to shoot a promotional film forStrawberry Fields Forever andPenny Lane,John Lennon stopped at a Westerham antiques shop and purchased a poster forPablo Fanque's Circus Royal, which later inspired the song, "Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite!"[7]
As well as the parish church (a Grade II*-listed building),[8] there is a Grade II-listed chapel associated with theCongregational Federation[9][10] and aRoman Catholic church. Westerham Evangelical Congregational Church dates from 1839[9] and St John the Baptist's Catholic Parish Church opened in 1955.[11]
Westerham was home to the Black Eagle Brewery, which was taken over byTaylor Walker & Co in the 1950s, becoming part ofInd Coope in 1959 and closing in 1965.Yeast from the brewery was preserved at theNational Collection of Yeast Cultures and is now used by the present dayWesterham Brewery which was established in 2004.
Westerham was home toCrayford Engineering, a successful car conversion company, from 1962 to the 1980s, working from a workshop at Squerryes Mede.
In 1922Winston Churchill MP purchasedChartwell Manor on the outskirts of Westerham, which, apart from the time he spent at10 Downing Street and 28 Hyde Park Gate (his London home), was his home for the rest of his life. Chartwell is now administered by theNational Trust.
There is a statue of Sir Winston Churchill on the village green at Westerham. It was sculpted byOscar Nemon and stands on a base ofYugoslavian stone, the gift of MarshalJosip Broz Tito.
The nearestNational Rail station to Westerham isOxted station, located 4 miles away.
Westerham is served byLondon Buses route246,Go-Coach routes 1 and 401, andMetrobus routes 236, 594 and 595 which provide connections toBromley,Sevenoaks,Tonbridge,Oxted andEast Grinstead.[12] Westerham is also within the operating area of Go-Coach'sdemand responsive go2 Sevenoaks service that allows passengers to order a bus via an app or phone number to destinations in the region includingOtford,Pratt's Bottom andIghtham.[13]
Westerham lies south of theM25 motorway. TheA25 road goes west toOxted,Redhill &Guildford and east toSevenoaks andWrotham. TheA233 road goes north toBiggin Hill andBromley. The B2026 road goes south toEdenbridge.
Since the town is close to London, television signals are received from theCrystal Palace TV transmitter, placing Westerham in theBBC London andITV London areas.[14]BBC South East andITV Meridian can also be received from theBluebell Hill TV transmitter.[15]
Local radio stations are:BBC Radio Kent (96.7 FM),Heart South (103.1 FM),Gold (603 AM) andKMFM West Kent, which broadcasts from its studios inStrood on 96.2 FM.[16]
London's Country (1952) - (British Transport Films) - narrated byHoward Marion Crawford, reference number: 2016/1859.Morris Dancing shown on Westerham green, before the Winston Churchill statue was erected.
The former Westerham Railway is briefly shown inLook at Life (film series) episode, ' Draw the Fires ', from 1963.
The town is served by these local newspapers,Westerham County Border News andSevenoaksChronicle.[17]
Westerham Cricket Club was founded in 1831, folded in 2004 and reformed in 2019.[18] Previous home grounds: 1831 to 1874 Farley Common, Westerham; 1875 to 1987 Squerryes Park, Westerham; 1988 to 2004 Costell's Meadow, Westerham. In 1990, thecricket club invited the football, rugby and netball clubs to join them in forming the Westerham Sports Association (WSA) which secured a grant to build a new clubhouse which opened in 1990 and still exists. The Cricket Club now plays its home matches at Valence Park, a picturesque cricket ground on the outskirts of Westerham.
Sir Winston Churchill Boxing club located at the Royal Standard Public House.[19]
Westerham is also home to afootball team, Westerham Football Club, which was founded in 1888.[20] Westerham Junior Football Club provide football for 5-18 year olds playing in the Tandridge and Crowborough leagues. Both clubs are located at King George V Playing Field.
Westerham has two ladiesnetball teams that compete in the Tunbridge Wells League. Westerham also hosts a weeklyparkrun on part of the Squerryes Estate.
within the club) went to club president Mr Maurice Ingleton The trophies were presented by Mr W Silvester president of Orpington Boxing Club and chairman Mr Melvyn Shorter and Mr Doug Sayers vice-chairman of the Sir Winston Churchill ...
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