Kent UK facts and history

Although usually called "The Garden of England", with all the fruit orchards, hop gardens and horticulture, most people (including many of those that actually live in Kent) are surprised to find that there were deep mines producing high grade coal in this pretty county. These were located about seven miles from Dover and the coal seams extended out under the sea but the last of these coal mines closed just over 25 years ago in 1989. Kent also had heavy industry in the form of a large railway works at Ashford which employed many for well over a hundred years, building steam locos, trucks and passenger carriages, including the Royal trains. The steam hammer in the east end of the works was reputedly the largest in the whole country and shook the village of South Willsborough every time it was operated. These railway works were finally closed in 1984 although most of the buildings were present until very recently. The very first production run of motor cars in the world was in 1886 at East Peckham, near Paddock Wood in Kent. This production line was of a car chassis based on the Benz Velo but with the engine made by Arnolds. Two of these Arnolds still survive. Many of Kent's orchards have now gone and very few of the hop gardens still survive although the majority of the very attractive oast houses, so reminiscent of Kent are still there, some converted into large houses. Those nearest our home are mostly of circular shape and occur every mile or so but in other parts of Kent there are some of a square shape (as is that of Pop and Ma Larkins in the TV series "The Darling Buds of May"). Kent is still nevertheless principally very rural with more ancient woodland than any other county in the UK.

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