Otford
A country paradise
Kent is rightly known as the ‘Garden of England’, blessed as it is with some of the country’s most fertile land. It has a rich farming heritage and in the not too distant past provided the country with apples, pears, hops and soft fruits. Set within this farming idyll is another mini Eden; Otford. A place that has become as much a part of the landscape as the very fields that surrounds it. There is definitely a casual charm about a place that appears to be the result of a casual grouping of homes that have evolved incidentally rather than by premeditation. The general harmony that comes from such a grouping is a result of a gradual evolution where buildings of different styles and ages have merged to become as one!
This attractive village is small and self-contained and is situated a couple of miles from the busy market town of Sevenoaks. Despite its size Otford has all of the amenities that one would expect of a place much larger, shops, a primary school and its own mainline station with trains to London taking just forty minutes. This helps to make Otford popular with commuters looking for a rural life in the country with easy access to the city.
As with most ancient villages at its centre is a church and a village pond along with the smallest listed building in England – a duck house! Which is home for some much pampered creatures, the ducks who are lucky enough to live here will never go hungry because the Parish Council has given them a food allowance. So there is little need to feel guilty if you have eaten all of your lunch and have just a few crumbs to spare!
The village name Otford is derived from the Anglo Saxon name “Ottanford” or possibly “Otterford”. The strange name is a derivation of King Offa who came to Kent in AD 775 with an army of Mercian men in the hopes of extending his territory. Fortunately the men of Kent are a stubborn lot and managed to fend them off! Although the early years of Otford’s development were fairly unsettled, with the coming of Christianity and the building of St Bartholomew’s in 1060 things once again quietened down, but don’t think for one minute that Otford was a quiet backwater! One of the early chaplains of St Bartholomew’s was St Thomas a Becket who later resided at Otford Palace as the Archbishop of Canterbury.
Although the traffic along the High Street is much quieter these days it is still a busy road. At one time Otford was by far the most important settlement in the region, much more so than Sevenoaks. It was a thriving community when Sevenoaks was a little more than a woodland clearing. For much of Otfords existence it has been a central crossroad for ancient highways since Roman times. Its busiest period was during the Middle Ages when the town was dissected by a major highway known as the Pilgrims Way. Thronging with people embarking on long pilgrimages across the country to Canterbury and beyond to the Holy land in the Far East. The pilgrims created another industry for the enterprising local residents; the provision of food and shelter for the weary travellers. This created even more traffic with carts and pack horses laden with goods bound for Otford and beyond to London. Today the Pilgrims Way is little more than a winding steep banked country lane which helps enhance the rural charm of the place. The homes and buildings that once welcomed medieval travellers are to be found scattered throughout Otford with a large assortment within the conservation area. These ancient buildings have been saved for future generations, and despite the preservation orders many of them are still used today as they were centuries ago.
The old buildings on the High Street are far closer to the road than one would normally feel comfortable with but it does add to the charm and imparts a feeling of intimacy which is further enhanced by the unusual number of independently owned shops that are flourishing because the shopkeepers still practise the long forgotten art of service! Otford is extremely fortunate as many villages have lost their local stores and with them their sense of identity
Shopping especially at Christmas can be a thankless task and is very likely to become an endurance test! It is very difficult to remember that “Tis the season to be jolly” when crushed by the heaving masses who descend upon the countries high streets at this time of year thereby making the thankless task an endurance test. So why not take a different approach to Christmas shopping this year and visit Otford? The High Street is a place which offers a paradise of independent shops, from bijoux boutiques selling designer fashion to antique dealers and jewellery stores. The presents purchased here will definitely be unusual and have that creative edge that is often missing from chain store buys. There is definitely something for everyone, especially those hunting for unusual gifts.
Otford is much more than a shopper’s paradise; it’s a foodie’s heaven! There is a vast choice of restaurants and public houses; from the Willow Tea Rooms which offers tourists and shoppers alike a vast choice of homemade cakes and light lunches to The Forge House Restaurant where a substantial lunch is the order of the day! Four public houses vie with one another to provide not only good food and beer but also a relaxing atmosphere of wood smoke and beams.
Otford has so much to offer not only its residents but also casual visitors situated as it is in such an idyllic spot yet with easy access to London and the coastal ports
copyright© Wendy Stevenson 2011
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