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Although Sevenoaks is only a few minutes’ drive from the M25, it has remained a pleasant small town in which to live and work. With its mixture of unique Kentish architecture, housing a selection of interesting speciality shops, it has become an increasingly popular venue for visitors.

At an elevation of about 180m above sea level, Sevenoaks is an island rising from the surrounding green countryside. Looking northwards from The Vine cricket ground, the North Downs dominate the horizon, and the descent along Riverhill at the south of the town offers a broad view across miles of fields and woodland comprising the Weald of Kent.

It is believed that the original seven oaks from which the town derived its name stood near the church on the southern side of the town. Indeed, the motto for Sevenoaks is “Floreant Septum Quercus” (May the Seven Oaks Flourish). In 1902 seven oaks were planted on the Vine cricket ground to commemorate the coronation of King Edward VII and it was these trees that made world headlines in 1987 when six of them were blown down during the great storm of October 16th. Consequently seven young replacement trees were planted alongside the remaining oak where the others once stood, which accounts for there now being eight oaks!

Accessibility

Despite its verdant nature, Sevenoaks is only 40km from London, with a frequent rail service and a journey time of about 35 minutes. The proximity of the motorway network puts Gatwick Airport, the Channel Tunnel, and the ferry ports within easy reach. Such accessibility makes Sevenoaks a popular place to live for commuters, and an ideal base for tourists wanting to explore the area and visit London.

Sevenoaks History

There are few records of Sevenoaks prior to the 13th century, and it is the neighbouring village of Otford, rather than Sevenoaks, that is mentioned in the Domesday Book. It was in Otford that one of Archbishop Lanfranc’s manors was built. The importance of Sevenoaks grew from the merging of the two main roads from London and Dartford into one main route heading south through the Weald to the coast. It was therefore a suitable venue for a market and this was probably established some time in the mid 13th century, and Sevenoaks has remained a market town to this day. In 1450, the rebellion against Henry VI, led by Jack Cade, defeated the troops sent against him by the King. There is a plaque to commemorate this at the junction of Tonbridge Road and Solefields Road. In 1456 the then Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Bourchier, purchased the 1000 acre estate of Knole, and built the great house which lies to the eastern side of the town. This was later appropriated by Henry VIII and then passed on to Queen Elizabeth I who gave it to her cousin, Thomas Sackville. Sevenoaks was not directly involved in the Wyatt rebellion in 1554, although there was some support for it from local people. During the Civil War, Lord Sackville, the then owner of Knole, was arrested and the house searched but the nearest battle took place at Tonbridge where the Royalists were defeated.

Sevenoaks People

A few famous literary names are connected with Sevenoaks. The ubiquitous Charles Dickens lodged here for a short while and two of his daughters are buried in St Nicholas churchyard. H G Wells also lived for a time in the town whilst writing “The Time Machine”. The poet and author W H Davies was staying in Weald whilst writing his “Autobiography of a Super Tramp”. The historian, William Lambarde, who wrote “The Perambulations of Kent” - the first printed description and history of an English county - had a grand house in Sevenoaks. Jane Austen would often come to the town to visit her great uncle who lived in the Red House which is a fine example of early Georgian architecture. The poet John Donne was rector of St Nicholas from 1616-1631, although it was an absentee rectorship. A much more recent well-known author was Vita Sackville-West who grew up at Knole. After her marriage to the diarist and politician, Harold Nicholson, she moved to Long Barn - an early 15th century timber-framed farmhouse just outside Sevenoaks. They later moved to the now world-renowned Sissinghurst Castle.

“Sevenoaks Millennium Walk”, produced by Sevenoaks Town Council in 2000, guides visitors round the town’s interesting sights, 15 of which are marked by plaques to commemorate notable local people. These leaflets are available from the Tourist Information Centre or the Town Council Offices.

Sevenoaks Today

Sevenoaks has grown considerably since the building of the railway in 1862 when the town became a fashionable place for London commuters to live. Covering an area of 15.5sq km its present population now stands at 18,588. A few light industrial estates close to the town blend harmoniously with the otherwise rural scenery.

Shopping

There are two supermarkets in the town centre and two more at out-of-town sites approximately 1.5 km to the north of the town. There is a wide range of small shops in the centre as well as at upper and lower St John’s Hill, and Tub’s Hill. Most needs can be satisfied locally but well-known department stores can be found in the nearby larger shopping centres of Bromley, Tunbridge Wells and Bluewater (near Dartford). In the town centre, the Bligh’s Meadow Development - a mix of quality specialist and nationally-known shops, with pubs and restaurants - is a thriving retail centre.

Sports, Activities and Clubs

There is a lively local community with clubs and organisations to cater for almost every interest. Sports enthusiasts are provided with a sports centre, indoor and outdoor bowls, several football and rugby pitches, tennis courts (including covered courts) and Raleys Gym which offers a wide range of activities for children and women (crèche facilities available), and, of course, cricket. The Vine Cricket Ground, with its delightful adjacent gardens, has been the venue for cricket matches for over 250 years, making it one of the oldest in the country. In the centre of Sevenoaks is a swimming pool, fitness suite and multi-purpose sports centre.

Twinning

For over 40 years, Sevenoaks has had links with Pontoise - a town of similar size - which is situated approximately 40km north-west of Paris. Anglo-French links have become firmly established during this time and exchange visits are an annual event. For further information, please contact the Secretary of the Friends of Pontoise, by email friendspontoise@onetel.com or visit their website http://web.onetel.net.uk/~friendspontoise/ and http://www.ville-pontoise.fr/ Pontoise Close and the Pontoise Play Area both serve as permanent reminders of the town’s twinning link in France.

In June 2000 Sevenoaks became formally twinned with Rheinbach, a German commuter town within easy reach of Cologne and Bonn, which bears similarities to Sevenoaks. Exchange visits have been carried out and the Friends of Rheinbach hold regular meetings, as do the German equivalent - the Freunde von Sevenoaks. Again, further information may be obtained from the Secretary, Chris Sutton on 01959 523320 or email: chris.sutton@aseuro.co.uk. In 2007 the Town Council renamed Upper St John’s Gardens to Rheinbach Gardens to mark the link with the town’s German twin.

Walking and Cycling

With its pleasant rural surroundings, walking is a very popular pastime in Sevenoaks and well-marked footpaths abound. Three long distance paths cross through or near Sevenoaks - the North Downs Way being the most famous with walkers from all over the country coming to follow its 246 km long route. The Greensand Way crosses the southern part of the town close to Riverhill House, while the Darent Valley Path winds its way from the centre of town to the wildfowl reserve to the north of the town up towards Dartford.

Circular walks around the outskirts of the town have been way-marked with accompanying maps to follow the routes. Details of all walks and footpath maps are available from the Tourist Information Centre.

Cycling Is becoming an increasingly popular leisure activity and details of local cycle routes can be obtained from the Tourist Information Centre.

Recreation and Play Areas

Within the town there is an environmental park close to the swimming pool in Buckhurst Lane. This was created from overgrown, abandoned allotments in 1994 and has been replanted with trees and wild flowers to attract birds and butterflies. It offers a restful place to sit and walk and, in addition, there are play areas for children.

A longer-established wildlife area is the Sevenoaks Wildfowl Reserve off Bradbourne Vale Road (A25). This was developed from a worked-out gravel pit for the purpose of nature conservation. It provides a home for a wide variety of wildfowl, plants, insects, and woodland birds, with a nature trail and hides. The Visitor Centre is host to periodic art exhibitions as well as housing permanent wildfowl exhibits.

On the other side of Bradbourne Vale Road are the Bradbourne Lakes, between Robyns Way and Lambarde Road. These offer a quiet area for walks and a place to watch the ducks, swans and geese. Nearby, in Pontoise Close, are two play areas for children.

Hollybush Recreation Ground, a short walk from the centre of town, also has a children’s play area along with public tennis courts, an all-weather pitch and indoor and outdoor bowls facilities.

There are also Play Areas at Julian’s Way (Cross Keys), Hillingdon and Greatness Park – all owned and maintained by Sevenoaks Town Council.

Other Facilities and Entertainment

Sevenoaks has a very good modern building which houses a library, gallery, museum and a local archives section in one integrated facility.

Within the Kaleidoscope/Library building is the award winning Tourist Information Centre which is a popular service for local residents as well as visitors. Information on all local activities, places to visit, events, local and London theatres, etc can be obtained here, as well as nationwide holiday brochures. The staff in the Tourist Information Centre can make accommodation bookings as well as reservations for National Express, Eurolines Coaches, theatre ticket tokens, etc. The Tourist Information Centre also sells quality local souvenirs, guidebooks, maps, books on the history of Sevenoaks, postcards and stamps.

The Stag in Sevenoaks is home to the Playhouse Theatre, The Studio (a flexible performance space) and two digital cinemas. The facility is run by Kino who offer drama workshops for children and young people, special cinema screenings for parents with babes in arms, a mixture of recent releases and classics in the cinemas and offers an in-house coffee shop - Café Vergnano. Further information can be found at the website - www.kinocinemas.co.uk.

There is a concentration of many performing arts during the Sevenoaks Summer Festival which is held every year for two weeks at the end of June with events taking place at various venues throughout the town.

Regular events in the Festival include the Opening Day with Festival entertainment and a Charity Fair in the Town Centre / Bligh’s, a mid-Festival event at the Sevenoaks Community Centre and the Festival Finale Concert on the final Sunday. Between these there will be events featuring dance, jazz, light music, children’s performances, operetta and choral music - something for everyone.

Cemetery

To the north of the Seal Road in Sevenoaks lies Greatness Park Cemetery, opened in 1906. The Cemetery was extended in 2003 ensuring that Sevenoaks will have burial space available for at least a further 45 years in contrast to many other towns. The land slopes steeply towards the north and at its highest point visitors can admire spectacular views over the North Downs.

Within the Cemetery is a small chapel, the Cemetery Lodge and also a listed building - the Kraftmeier Mausoleum. This has been recognised as having significant architectural merit and is now protected. The sepulchre was erected circa 1908 and is in Art Nouveau style with a rough hewn granite base and rectangular two-tone stone mausoleum above and a barrel vaulted copper roof.

The first dedication is to Esme Kraftmeier who died aged 12.

Anyone wishing to view the Kraftmeier Mausoleum or who would like to view Cemetery records/locate a grave may do so by contacting the Town Council Office during normal office hours to arrange an appointment.

Historic Buildings

The authoritative series of books on the buildings of England, edited by Nikolaus Pevsner claims that in the High Street at the south end of Sevenoaks “there are more worthwhile buildings than in almost any other street in the county.”

Amongst some of the noteworthy examples are: The Old Vicarage (late 18th century); the Old Market House (c 1700); The Chantry (late 17th century); and the Manor House which has links with the Sackvilles of Knole, built in the late 18th century. Here also is to be found St Nicholas Church which has features of successive Gothic styles from the 13th century. Adjacent to the church runs Rectory Lane off which Six Bells Lane, with its delightful row of 18th and 19th century cottages, winds around to rejoin the High Street. On the northern corner of Rockdale Road is 63-65 High Street which, although hung with 19th century fish-scale tiles, probably dates back to the 15th century, and was the residence of the reeve, or agent, of the Archbishop of Canterbury.

Between the London Road and the High Street, in the main shopping area, are Dorset Street and Bank Street - running on either side of the old Market House (1843) - and “The Shambles” which, in medieval times, housed the booths and slaughterhouses of the butchers. There are several tile-hung timber framed buildings still to be found here. In 2000, local artists were commissioned to produce a mural and three-dimensional features depicting the history of the Shambles.

Further north along the High Street is Bligh’s which was once an isolated Tudor farmhouse, more recently a hotel and is now a pub/restaurant. A little further north, on the outskirts of the shopping area, is The Vine cricket ground with its 19th century weatherboarded cricket pavilion which is a listed building. There are some substantial houses surrounding the cricket ground and adjacent to the ground is the restful area of the Vine Gardens.

At the northern end of the town is the shopping area of St John’s Hill. At the intersection, where this road crosses the A25, once stood a hospital with a chapel dedicated to St John the Baptist. It was founded some time between 900 and 1100 to give travellers a safe refuge for the night. This area, known as Bat and Ball, was the site of the first main Sevenoaks railway station. This line continues to run up to London, terminating at Blackfriars and Victoria. The primary Sevenoaks station is now at Tub’s Hill.

Many of the great houses of Sevenoaks have had to give way to development but there are two remaining ones worthy of mention. The original Kippington House in Kippington Road was purchased in 1630 by Thomas Farnaby, a famous classical scholar, who sailed with Drake on his last voyage. It was largely rebuilt in the following century and has since been converted into apartments. In the nearby parish of Seal, Dorton House, which has served several purposes including a hospital for the war-wounded and is now a school and college of further education for the visually impaired, was originally known as Wildernesse and was approached along an impressive avenue of lime trees. Many of these trees, which were planted to commemorate the Battle of Waterloo, still remain. The house, built in 1700 for a Lord Chief Justice, was later owned by John Pratt, Baron Camden, who became Lord Chancellor of the Kingdom.