An Introduction

to

SHADOXHURST

The Woodland Village

The Village of Shadoxhurst is set in one of the loveliest areas of the eastern Weald, between the North Downs and Romney Marsh.   It may be because of its relative isolation for many centuries amidst the woods and forest that little is known about the origins of its name.  

The Shadoxhurst Millennium Village Sign

The earliest written record of Shadoxhurst is from 1239 when the parish name was spelled ‘Schettokesherst’.   Although the origin of the first part of the name is obscure, it may have come from a family name commonly known centuries ago, such as Shaddock or Shattock.   Hurst or Herst is an Anglo-Saxon word which means a wooded knoll.  

HISTORY

In the past Shadoxhurst has been a home to a leper colony, grew vast fields of hops and experienced high infant mortality rates with many children dying before the age of ten years old.   In 1846 a school was built and then decommissioned in 1916, and during the First World War Nickley Wood was heavily felled to provide props for the trenches.   In 1940, the village was host to evacuees from London until it was realised that they and village children, would be safer dispersed to other areas.   It was during this period that five flying bombs fell on the Parish, clearing areas of trees and undergrowth.

Covering approximately 2,000 acres, the many footpaths and coppice woods surrounding the parish offer many walks and interesting sights.    The Parish Church is dedicated to St. Peter and St. Paul and the first recorded parish priest of Shadowehurst, was John de Iford who was appointed in January 1289.   The Church consists of a nave and chancel. The tower was taken down about the year 1788 and by 1868 the Church had fallen into disrepair.   The necessary funds were raised and the Church was re-opened in April 1869.   The roof and turret needed repairs in 1952 which cost £400.    Twelve years later a sudden outbreak of dry rot closed the Church when floorboards, pulpit, lectern and pews were removed and new flooring and seating accommodation installed which cost many hundreds of pounds before it was able to be opened again in March 1965.

Among interesting points are the font which is lead lined and hexagonal; a shape fairly common in the Midlands but rare in the South East.  Remnants of old glass can he seen in the West Window, in a window on the North side of the nave and the glass in the East window was erected by ‘Parishioners and Friends’ in 1923.   In white marble on the North wall of the chancel is a memorial to Sir Charles Molloy who was Lord of the Manor of Shadoxhurst in the mid eighteenth century.   The clock is a War Memorial of the 1914 -1918 War and the pews were obtained from a redundant church, refurbished and installed in 1977.   Records of Births, Marriages and Deaths go back to the year 1538.  

The Rectory was built in 1849 replacing the original as the Rev. Charles Rolfe, whose ancestor was John Rolfe who married Pocahontas, wished to live in the parish.   In 1954 it was sold and the land in front of the house was bought by West Ashford RDC who built the present Rectory Bungalows. Among other interesting sights are (from below left) Quince Cottage, Green Farm which was the King’s Head until 1850 and the Methodist Chapel.                 

Quince Cottage                                               Green Farm                                                                     Methodist Chapel

In the 1780s there were twenty-two houses in the parish and in 1821 the population was 224.   In a book now sadly out of print, L.M. Chowns of Moreton House, Shadoxhurst wrote that in May 1976 the Planning Department of the Borough of Ashford produced a Village Study Report which threatened village life by expansion and change.  

In November 2003 a public meeting which was attended by approximately 40 villagers, was held to discuss the Shadoxhurst 'Wish List' which had been distributed to all households in the village.   From approximately 438 households, 129 forms were returned and, on the basis of villagers’ concerns and their needs expressed in the Wish List, it was decided to elect a team of villagers at a future time to form the Shadoxhurst Parish Plan Steering Committee .    It was this Committee that produced the Shadoxhurst Questionnaire which was widely distributed at the Village Fete in September 2004.   130 completed forms were returned and this paper presents the breakdown of the answers to the questions                                                     

The Heart of the Village

Because of the distinctive long and spread-out shape of the Village, it is not easy to pinpoint the heart of the village.  This results in a feeling of isolation for some villagers, especially for people living in the Nickley Wood area, and a lack of cohesion for village issues and events.  In the 2004 questionnaire, villagers were asked to choose where they considered was the heart of the village.   44% chose The Kings Head, 20% the Village Hall and the Church took just 5.6% of the votes, whilst 15% did not know.  

The Recreation field

The Pavillion

Although the success of the September 2004 Village Fete and Boot Sale which was held in the grounds of the King’s Head supports the ‘heart of the village’ view, the continuing popularity of the Guy Fawke’s Night event held in the village recreation field (above) also draws attention to the importance of this field to Village activities.   The Recreation Field was purchased for the Parish in 1977 and sees many football games and children’s events whilst the Pavilion situated at the entrance to the field, hosts various meetings, such as   the Mother and Toddlers Group, whilst the local Scout Group has its own hut.

The Village Hall

Village Clubs

The Village Hall remains a focal point for many activities and regular meetings of local interest groups as well as Parish Council meetings.   The site was purchased in the 1950s and the hall was erected with the help of voluntary labour.  

There are various thriving village groups, including the Gardening Club, Flowers Arrangers, Darby and Joan, Ladies Social Club, Short Mat Bowls, Little Scholars Nursery, the Karate Club and a gentlemen’s Breakfast Club.    A successful and popular new initiative arising from the Villager’s requests are the regular Village Walks.

Shadoxhurst Gardener's Summer Show, Village Hall 2004

The village shop, located at Stubb’s Cross, is the only one in the immediate locality.   Although for some villagers the shop is considered to be too far from their home to be viable for local shopping, the Post Office is widely used and the owners have extended the range of goods available and provided extra parking spaces.   Some villagers have asked for a general shop more centrally situated, ie close to Church or Pub, whilst many are happy with their proximity to Ashford town centre facilities.

Stubb’s Cross Post Office and Village Shop

The original King’s Head with the extended building (right)

The King’s Head Public House is a popular venue, and well visited by villagers and visitors alike.   Serving meals at lunch and dinner times, the restaurant has recently adopted a no-smoking policy.    During summer people are able to make use of the garden facilities which also includes a children’s play area.

                     St. Peter’s and St Paul’s Church                                                                       The Old School House

St Peter’s and St Paul’s Church in Shadoxhurst has a congregation of well over 100 parishioners and the Revd Sheila McLachlan holds regular services.   The Church website gives information on services and village events : s http://kingsnorth-cofe.co.uk/.   

There is also a village website http://www.shadoxhurst.info with information about the Parish Council and the various village activities.

CONCLUSION

The questionnaire established that the heart of the village is considered by the majority of villagers to be The King’s Head Public House, followed by the Village Hall, or a combination of the Church and Public House.

Transport and Services

55% of villagers said they were not satisfied with local authority services.   The major concern for people were the state of the roads and pavements, with many asking for better road maintenance, citing pot holes and bad surfaces throughout the village and the improvement and installation of pavements, mainly along Tally Ho Road.   

Better lighting around and leading to the shop area was also called for, although the issue of lighting in the village is something which divides opinion.   It may be a solution to erect lighting from approximately where the paving now exists towards the shop which would provide adequate lighting in the vicinity of the post office and some yards beyond.

Many people were not satisfied with the bus services, mainly with regard to certain areas which are not well serviced or have no bus route at all.   The major problem concerning many is the small number of buses servicing the village.

The question of speeding cars and heavy lorries using roads in the village has worried many people.   Traffic calming and speed restrictions were among the recommendations made by villagers.    In particular the cross-roads at Tally Ho and Woodchurch Roads with Hornash Lane was regarded as a dangerous junction and already damage has been caused on several occasions to walls and fences by out of control vehicles.

Having a school within the village was raised by several people, although whether this is seen as something which could be achieved needs much further consultation.

CONCLUSION

T he majority of villagers have asked for better paving along Tally Ho Road to enable improved access to the shop.   There will need to be dropped kerbs along the stretch as many people with pushchairs and mobility scooters will use the route.  Other people have requested better lighting around the shop area; more buses and better road maintenance, with strict control of speeding vehicles and less heavy traffic a priority.

i)        Paving along Tally Ho Road                 Time Scale:   2006

ii)       Better lighting shop area            Time Scale:  2006

iii)      Improved road maintenance                  Time Scale:  Immediate

iv)      More Buses                                Time Scale:   end 2005

v)        Speed Control of vehicles                    Time Scale:   Immediate

Health Facilities

Source: 2004 Village Questionnaire 1

CONCLUSION

More than 75% of villagers wanted to see better health facilities available within Shadoxhurst, with the majority of people opting for a Doctor’s Surgery to be held at least once a week, followed by a dispensing chemist or mobile clinics.   It is clear that people with children, older people, the disabled and those who have to rely on public transport do find difficulty getting to a Doctor’s surgery and obtaining prescriptions.   Although Shadoxhurst may not be able to achieve a daily GP service within the village, it is hoped that what may be achievable is a weekly surgery combined with a permanent dispensing chemist.

i)       Doctor’s Surgery                                Time Scale:        2006/8

ii)      Dispensing Chemist                   Time Scale:        2006

iii)    Mobile Clinic                            Time Scale:        2006

PEOPLE

The average age of a resident in Shadoxhurst is 40.93 and, of 852 people aged between 16 and 74 living in the village, 551 are employed and economically active, meaning that the ratio of employed people is above the national average.   There are thirty-four pensioners living alone and twenty single parent households.   Only five households do not have a car or van.

There are 453 dwellings in the village with an average household size of 2.59 people and of these 304 live in detached premises,; 135 in semi-detached, terraced or bungalows, and 14 in flat, maisonette, apartment or temporary structure or caravan.

Source: 2001 Government Census

Housing

121 people answered the questions regarding the building of new houses in the village.

Source: 2004 Village Questionnaire 2

CONCLUSION

35% of villagers said ‘No’ to any further building; whilst 31% said they would not mind minimal building.    A further 20% suggested in-fill and another 20% suggested low-cost housing for locals or selective building in keeping with other houses in the area.   The majority of people were against any future house building in the village with slightly less having no objection to a smaller amount of house building.

i)       35% say of villagers say NO to further building

ii)      20% say only selective building

iii)    20% of Villagers say in-fill housing only

Rural Shadoxhurst

The questionnaire asked what villagers liked least about Shadoxhurst.   The issue of most concern was speeding and heavy traffic through the village, especially Tally Ho Road, followed by the need for a ‘heart’ of the village and lack of community spirit. There was also anxiety about the numbers of houses planned in the area, including Ashford and annoyance about the amount of dog fouling and rubbish around the streets.

Others matters which cause disquiet is the increase in anti-social behaviour by a minority of village people and children, causing noise, damage and distress to several householders by their  activities.   There is also evidence of the abuse of footpaths by people riding quad bikes.   Lack of public transport especially in more isolated areas of Shadoxhurst, together with lack of pavements, parking at the local shop, street lighting and low police presence have also been highlighted.  

The massive majority of residents are happy to live in Shadoxhurst citing the rural atmosphere and woodlands the most liked characteristics of the village.   People in the area were the second most valued attribute; peace and quiet was a quality appreciated by many, together with the lack of street lighting.

That Shadoxhurst was close to Ashford town centre facilities and shopping, together with the relative safety and crime-free environment within the village was also appreciated,   Community spirit, the public house, clubs and the village fete were mentioned and other assets were the football games, the shop, church and child-friendly surroundings.

The approach of Ashford – taken from Stubbs Cross, April 2005

Acknowledgements:   Mrs. L.M. Chowns for permission to reproduce extracts from her husband’s book.

Chowns, L.M.   A History of Shadoxhurst (1977).    Shadoxhurst, Kent.

Published in 2005 by A.M. Couling, The Poplars, Shadoxhurst, Kent.