Dunton Green
Dunton Green lies incongruously within a golden triangle bounded on three sides by the M25, M26 and M20. Any casual visitor to Kent might look at this little triangle on a map and decide that the area is not worth visiting. However they couldn’t be further from the truth. Originally when the motorways were first built it must have seemed to the residents as though Dunton was imprisoned. The countryside had suffered abuse at the hands of the highway department and nothing would ever be the same again.
It is easy now to sit back and reflect on a situation that would have seemed irretrievable at the time. As with a phoenix, Dunton Green and the surrounding landscape has risen renewed from the ashes just as beautiful!
Once you leave the motorways to gain access to this little island you enter a totally different world. The motorways are not a prison merely a protective arm placed to save the landscape from any intrusion by unwelcome developers.
This other world is recognised as an area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The Kent Downs are one of the most precious landscapes in the country, which is amazing when you think of the close proximity to London. They contain ancient broadleaf woodlands, rich habitats and dramatic views created by the undulating landscape. The majority of the woodlands are over four hundred years old and because of this support a wide range of plant and animal species that have either disappeared or are at worryingly low levels else where. There are still swathes of sweet chestnut coppice even though the old traditional trade of coppicing has declined considerably. The impact of the motorways is negligible as you stroll along the lanes and country paths that crisscross the area. The presence of these arteries has attracted newcomers to Dunton Green who would otherwise be stuck in a mediocre existence in suburbia.
Dunton Green has lain dormant for centuries within the Darenth Valley, a few miles north of Sevenoaks and twenty six miles from London. It will never be described as a traditional English village; it doesn’t have an ancient church at its heart nor vast numbers of listed buildings. But why should something conform to a rigid pattern to be an idyllic place to live. Dunton Green has certainly broken the mould as it has a unique identity of its own. Unlike many places stuck in a time warp and treated as though they are self serving museum pieces, Dunton Green serves its community and it does it rather well. You can feel the community spirit as soon as you enter the confines of the village and there is definitely plenty of character. Many of the buildings stand in testament to the village’s industrial past; there is an understated elegance in the buildings that have been built by the labours of the people who lived here.
The buildings are an eclectic mix of different styles that is visually appealing. St John’s Church was hand crafted from locally made bricks in 1890 and still serves the community that built it. It is not isolated; there is a main line station, pubs, shops and a supermarket that provide for the immediate needs of the residents. I cannot see why Dunton Green was ever given the title of “one of the ugliest places in Kent” I can think of far more deserving places!
Although Dunton Green’s roots are not visually apparent it is a very ancient settlement. The name was originally Dunington or “Duns Estate” from the Old English words “tun” meaning village or settlement and green was a much later addition. As with most old villages Dunton Green has its own myths and legends that have evolved over the years but one in particular is a sad tale about the daughter of the wealthy owner of Morants Court. She fell in love with a highwayman, but her Father disapproved of the friendship and forced her to betray her lover by revealing where he was going to ambush his next victim.
Her Father sent his servants to waylay the highwayman and they were responsible for issuing summary justice – they hung him and cut off his head, which they then presented to his lover. The daughter of the house was so shocked by the gruesome spectacle that she went insane. Needless to say the headless highwayman has been seen jumping over a stream behind Morants Court and the horses hooves are heard striking the cobbles that no longer exist.
Other people and industries also helped shape Dunton Green. As with other places the coming of the railway always had some sort of impact usually in the form of improved transport but it was the miners themselves who left their mark. They had travelled down to Kent to construct the Polhill tunnel but shortly after their arrival in the village they were responsible for a great deal of drunken disorder and loutish behaviour on a scale never seen before in such a small village. Lawlessness wasn’t the preserve of highwaymen and drunken miners, in 1909 the parish council sent a letter to the Home Secretary requesting the presence of soldiers in the village to try and control the “illegal and reckless” driving of motor vehicles along the main road through the village. Lawlessness is definitely a thing of the past in this pleasant part of Kent.
copyright© Wendy Stevenson 2011
Can you help? Contact us if you know the history of a town or village in Kent near you. We're also looking for Photographs of Kent, submit online
Comment about this article: editorial@wikikent.co.uk
|
