Kemsing is a village and civil parish in the Sevenoaks district of Kent, England. The parish lies on the scarp face of the North Downs, 20 miles south east of Central London and north east of Sevenoaks. Also in the parish there are the hamlets of Heaverham, to the east and Noah's Ark to the south. The population of the civil parish in 2001 was 4,014 persons, increasing to a population of 4,218 at the 2011 Census. The parish church, Saxon in origin, is dedicated to St Mary the Virgin. Another local legend states that the knights who murdered Archbishop Thomas Becket rode through Kemsing on their way to seek him out at Canterbury. Following his canonisation, Kemsing became a stop-off place on the Pilgrims' Way, along which pilgrims travelled to visit the saint's shrine at Canterbury Cathedral.

The lordship of Kemsing had a long royal and noble association: it was held by King Henry II who passed it to Baldwin of Béthune, the Earl of Albemarle. It was acquired by the Earl of Pembroke by his marriage to Lady Alice, Baldwin's daughter. The manor passed later to the de Grandison and Fynes families, becoming part of the estates of Baron Saye and Sele. In the reign of Edward IV, Kemsing was sold to Sir Geoffry Boleyn, father of the future queen Anne Boleyn, and later reverted to the crown. Briefly in possession of Anne of Cleves, it was then granted by Elizabeth I to Sir Henry Carey and eventually acquired by the Duke of Dorset. by the architect Godfrey Pinkerton), a cluster of picturesque cottages and St. Edith's Hall, built in 1911 (Grade II listed by the architect Godfrey Pinkerton). Its front is adorned with a statue of the saint and a clock which chimes the hours and bears the inscription "'Tis mine / Each passing hour to tell. / 'Tis thine / To use it ill or well." In 2011, well dressing was introduced to the village and the 2014 well dressing commemorates World War I.

The Women's Institute organisation opened its first institute in Kent in Kemsing in December 1915. During the first world war St Edith Hall was used as a hospital and staffed by the Kent Voluntary Aid Detachment (VAD). Wounded soldiers from the western front were returned to England, and the hall at Kemsing was used by the VAD during the war.

Geography

The main roads in the village are High Street, St Edith's Road, West End, Dynes Road and Childsbridge Lane. Kemsing railway station is a mile to the south-east. The M26 motorway passes through the parish. Between the motorway and the station lies the area of Kemsing known as Noah's Ark. The village contains one grade I, three grade II* and 31 grade II listed buildings recorded in the National Heritage List for England.

High Street was the location of two public houses, The Bell and The Wheatsheaf, sited directly opposite each other. On 3 June 2011 The Wheatsheaf suffered a serious fire, leaving The Bell as the only public house in the village. The Wheatsheaf was demolished in October 2012 to make way for three private dwellings. Further to the east at Heaverham is the Chequers.

Kemsing is in the Kent Downs, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The North Downs Way runs north of the village along the ridge of the Downs; it crosses the chalk grassland of Kemsing Down nature reserve, managed by Kent Wildlife Trust.

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File:Kemsing from the North Downs.jpg|Kemsing from the North Downs

File:Kemsing St Edith Hall.jpg|Clock at St Edith's Hall

File:Kemsing Well Dressing 2014.jpg|Well Dressing, 2014

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Church of St Mary the Virgin

The Church of England parish church of St Mary the Virgin likely dates back to Saxon times. The first time that Kemsing is mentioned is in a Canterbury diocese document of 822. Crime in the Kemsing area fell by 31 percent in the period 2010-2011.

References

Further reading

  • The Story of Kemsing in Kent V.E.Bowden, 1994, Kemsing Historical and Art Society,
  • Guide to St Mary the Virgin, Kemsing, Parochial Church Council of St Mary's Church, Kemsing and the Kemsing Heritage Centre Association, year not specified.
  • Kemsing Sports Association