Sutton Valence

Sutton Valence is a village some five miles SE of Maidstone, Kent, England on the Greensand Ridge overlooking the Vale of Kent and Weald. One of the main landmarks in the village is [http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/server.php?show=conProperty.221| Sutton Valence Castle] , of which only the ruins of the 12th century keep remain, under the ownership of English Heritage, open any reasonable time. Sutton Valence School, a leading independent school is located in the north-west part of the village but also owns Art and Design Technology departments in the centre of the village. There is also a primary school for the young children of the village. Many of the older buildings in the village are constructed from ragstone formerly mined locally at Boughton Monchelsea.

The village can be said to be split into two. The principal and oldest part, occupies the upper slope of the Greensand Ridge overlooking the Vale of Kent. The remainder is located at the bottom of the hill. This area is known as The Harbour and the houses here include a significant number of homes originally owned by the local authority.

History

The site was first settled by the Saxons in 814 A.D. although Iron Age and Roman artefacts have been found in the area. The Roman road from Maidstone to Lympne passed through the village.

The village is recorded in the Domesday Book in 1086 as Town Sutton and granted to Odo Fitzhubert, Bishop of Bayeux. The village passed to Baldwin de Bethune in 1166 who is believed to have rebuilt the castle in stone. In 1265, Henry III granted the manor to William de Valence, from whom the village takes its current name. The castle was abandoned in the 14th century, although remains of the keep still exist and can be found to the east of the village.

In 1344, the village passed to the Hastings family and became known as Sutton Hastings for a period. It subsequently passed to the Clifford family in 1418 who sold it to the Filmer family towards the end of the 17th century. The Filmers encouraged the provision of a gas supply in the village and lent money for the construction of the turnpike from Maidstone to Tenterden (the current A274).

In 1904, Colonel Holman Stephens proposed construction of an extension of the Kent & East Sussex Railway line from Headcorn to Maidstone via Sutton Valence. However the Great War intervened and the powers were allowed to lapse.

The village has declined in economic importance during the latter part of the 20th century partly as a result of the growth of Maidstone and changes in farming

Local Amenities

Sutton Valence has a post office, bookshop and four pubs as well as a garage and several other small businesses. There is a recreation ground next to the village hall to the north of the village centre.

Communications

Sutton Valence lies on the main A274 road from Maidstone to Tenterden and is linked by bus to both towns, as well as Headcorn.

The nearest railway station is in Headcorn, which is on the South Eastern Main Line from London to the Kent Coast via Ashford.

Links

* [http://www.suttonvalence.org.uk| Sutton Valence village website]
* [http://www.svs.org.uk/| Sutton Valence School]
* [http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/server.php?show=conProperty.221| Sutton Valence Castle]