Edenbridge, Kent
Encyclopedia
Edenbridge is a town
and civil parish in the Sevenoaks district
of Kent
, England
. The town's name derives from Old English language
"Eadhelmsbrigge" ("Eadhelm's Bridge" in Modern English). It is located on the Kent/Surrey
border on the upper floodplain
of the River Medway
and gives its name to the latter's tributary, the River Eden
. Edenbridge has a population of around 8,000.
, the London to Lewes Way
at the point where it crossed the river. Iron slag
from iron smelting in the surrounding area was used in building the road. In the Middle Ages
, it became a centre of the Wealden iron industry
. There are many mediaeval timber
buildings in the town, one of which houses the Eden Valley Museum.
With the coming of the railways the town expanded and the community of Marlpit Hill, north of the original settlement, is now part of the town.
and Honour's Mill on the River Eden, Christmas Mill on a tributary of the Eden, and a windmill
to the south of the town. All four mill buildings survive, but now converted to other uses.
(SER) route from Redhill
to Tonbridge
, was opened on 26 May 1842. The station, simply named Edenbridge
, is located in Marlpit Hill. To the west of that station the route crosses what was once the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway
main line from London to Eastbourne
, opened on 2 January 1888. The crossing of the two lines takes place at a mid-break in the Edenbridge Tunnel on the SER line. Here lies the second station, named Edenbridge Town
. The line serving it is now truncated at Uckfield
. There is no connection here between the two routes: Edenbridge is not a junction; one existed four miles (6 km) to the west of Edenbridge Town at Crowhurst
, but that junction no longer exists.
The 13th century church dedicated to St Peter and St Paul contains a set of windows in the east wall by Sir Edward Burne-Jones. Edenbridge is twinned with Mont-Saint-Aignan
in France
. The bypass that was built in the early 2000s to relieve traffic pressure on the old, narrow High Street is named Mont St Aignan Way. There are Lloyds, Barclays, Natwest and HSBC banks in the town. There is a post office, which is next to the church. Major retailers that are present in Edenbridge include Boots, Tesco, Co-op and Londis. Boots, Tesco and Co-op are located in the town centre. Londis Supermarket also referred to as the VG is located in Spitals Cross Estate.
Town
A town is a human settlement larger than a village but smaller than a city. The size a settlement must be in order to be called a "town" varies considerably in different parts of the world, so that, for example, many American "small towns" seem to British people to be no more than villages, while...
and civil parish in the Sevenoaks district
Sevenoaks (district)
Sevenoaks is a local government district covering the western most part of Kent in England. Its council is based in the town of Sevenoaks. It was formed on 1 April 1974, under the Local Government Act 1972, by a merger of the Sevenoaks Urban District, Sevenoaks Rural District and part of Dartford...
of Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. The town's name derives from Old English language
Old English language
Old English or Anglo-Saxon is an early form of the English language that was spoken and written by the Anglo-Saxons and their descendants in parts of what are now England and southeastern Scotland between at least the mid-5th century and the mid-12th century...
"Eadhelmsbrigge" ("Eadhelm's Bridge" in Modern English). It is located on the Kent/Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
border on the upper floodplain
Floodplain
A floodplain, or flood plain, is a flat or nearly flat land adjacent a stream or river that stretches from the banks of its channel to the base of the enclosing valley walls and experiences flooding during periods of high discharge...
of the River Medway
River Medway
The River Medway, which is almost entirely in Kent, England, flows for from just inside the West Sussex border to the point where it enters the Thames Estuary....
and gives its name to the latter's tributary, the River Eden
River Eden, Kent
The River Eden in West Kent is a tributary of the River Medway. It travels through the Weald of Kent from the border with Surrey, rising from the source in Titsey parish, Surrey, grid reference TQ 420 551, about 350 metres north of Clacket Lane motorway services, and flowing...
. Edenbridge has a population of around 8,000.
History
The old part of the town grew along a section of the otherwise disused Roman roadRoman roads in Britain
Roman roads, together with Roman aqueducts and the vast standing Roman army , constituted the three most impressive features of the Roman Empire. In Britain, as in other provinces, the Romans constructed a comprehensive network of paved trunk roads Roman roads, together with Roman aqueducts and the...
, the London to Lewes Way
London to Lewes Way (Roman road)
The London to Lewes Way is a long Roman road between Watling Street at Peckham and Lewes in Sussex. The road passes through Beckenham and West Wickham, then crosses the North Downs above Titsey, on the county boundary between Surrey and Kent, and is overlain by Edenbridge High Street.The road...
at the point where it crossed the river. Iron slag
Slag
Slag is a partially vitreous by-product of smelting ore to separate the metal fraction from the unwanted fraction. It can usually be considered to be a mixture of metal oxides and silicon dioxide. However, slags can contain metal sulfides and metal atoms in the elemental form...
from iron smelting in the surrounding area was used in building the road. In the Middle Ages
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
, it became a centre of the Wealden iron industry
Wealden iron industry
The Wealden iron industry was located in the Weald of south-eastern England. It was formerly an important industry, producing a large proportion of the bar iron made in England in the 16th century and most British cannon until about 1770. Ironmaking in the Weald used ironstone from various clay...
. There are many mediaeval timber
Timber
Timber may refer to:* Timber, a term common in the United Kingdom and Australia for wood materials * Timber, Oregon, an unincorporated community in the U.S...
buildings in the town, one of which houses the Eden Valley Museum.
With the coming of the railways the town expanded and the community of Marlpit Hill, north of the original settlement, is now part of the town.
Mills
Edenbridge has had four mills over the centuries, Haxted MillHaxted Watermill
thumb|Haxted MillHaxted Watermill is a much-restored watermill in Surrey, England, close to the border with Kent, and is powered by the River Eden. It is a Domesday site and the mill was mentioned in the will of Sir Reginald de Cobham in 1361. The western half of the building dates to c.1580 and...
and Honour's Mill on the River Eden, Christmas Mill on a tributary of the Eden, and a windmill
Edenbridge Windmill
Edenbridge Mill is a Grade II listed house converted tower mill in Edenbridge, Kent, England. It is on the west side of Mill Hill, just north of the hospital.-History:...
to the south of the town. All four mill buildings survive, but now converted to other uses.
Railways
There are two railway stations serving Edenbridge. The earliest, on the South Eastern RailwaySouth Eastern Railway (UK)
The South Eastern Railway was a railway company in south-eastern England from 1836 until 1922. The company was formed to construct a route from London to Dover. Branch lines were later opened to Tunbridge Wells, Hastings, Canterbury and other places in Kent...
(SER) route from Redhill
Redhill, Surrey
Redhill is a town in the borough of Reigate and Banstead, Surrey, England and is part of the London commuter belt. Redhill and the adjacent town of Reigate form a single urban area.-History:...
to Tonbridge
Tonbridge
Tonbridge is a market town in the English county of Kent, with a population of 30,340 in 2007. It is located on the River Medway, approximately 4 miles north of Tunbridge Wells, 12 miles south west of Maidstone and 29 miles south east of London...
, was opened on 26 May 1842. The station, simply named Edenbridge
Edenbridge railway station
Edenbridge railway station is one of two stations serving Edenbridge in Kent.In 1967 the station was destaffed following which the original station buildings were demolished....
, is located in Marlpit Hill. To the west of that station the route crosses what was once the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway
London, Brighton and South Coast Railway
The London, Brighton and South Coast Railway was a railway company in the United Kingdom from 1846 to 1922. Its territory formed a rough triangle, with London at its apex, practically the whole coastline of Sussex as its base, and a large part of Surrey...
main line from London to Eastbourne
Eastbourne
Eastbourne is a large town and borough in East Sussex, on the south coast of England between Brighton and Hastings. The town is situated at the eastern end of the chalk South Downs alongside the high cliff at Beachy Head...
, opened on 2 January 1888. The crossing of the two lines takes place at a mid-break in the Edenbridge Tunnel on the SER line. Here lies the second station, named Edenbridge Town
Edenbridge Town railway station
Edenbridge Town railway station is one of two stations serving Edenbridge in Kent, UK. The station, and all trains serving it, is operated by Southern, and it is on the Uckfield branch of the Oxted Line....
. The line serving it is now truncated at Uckfield
Uckfield
-Development:The local Tesco has proposed the redevelopment of the central town area as has the town council. The Hub has recently been completed, having been acquired for an unknown figure, presumed to be about half a million pounds...
. There is no connection here between the two routes: Edenbridge is not a junction; one existed four miles (6 km) to the west of Edenbridge Town at Crowhurst
Crowhurst, Surrey
Crowhurst is a civil parish in the Tandridge borough of Surrey. It has a population of 349.The parish church is dedicated to St George. Crowhurst Place, a Grade 1 Listed Building, is a moated manor house dating back to circa 1450....
, but that junction no longer exists.
The town
Mont-Saint-Aignan
-People:*Birthplace of Jacques Anquetil , the first cyclist to win the Tour de France five times.*Viviane Asseyi footballer*Jackson Mendy footballer*Matthieu Louis-Jean footballer*Mohamed Sissoko, Juventus F.C footballer, was born here....
in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. The bypass that was built in the early 2000s to relieve traffic pressure on the old, narrow High Street is named Mont St Aignan Way. There are Lloyds, Barclays, Natwest and HSBC banks in the town. There is a post office, which is next to the church. Major retailers that are present in Edenbridge include Boots, Tesco, Co-op and Londis. Boots, Tesco and Co-op are located in the town centre. Londis Supermarket also referred to as the VG is located in Spitals Cross Estate.
People
- Walter Galpin Alcock (1861–1947), organist and composer, was born in Edenbridge
- David Henry BartleetDavid Henry BartleetDavid Henry Bartleet was the fourth Bishop of Tonbridge He was born on 11 April 1929 and educated at St Edward's School, Oxford. and St Peter's Hall...
(1929–2001), was vicar of Edenbridge - Tony BurnsTony BurnsAnthony John "Tony" Burns is an English former football goalkeeper and manager. He is currently the goalkeeping coach for Millwall.-Club:...
(b 1944), football player and manager, was born in Edenbridge. - Anthony CattAnthony CattAnthony Waldron Catt is a former English cricketer who played as a wicketkeeper for Kent. Along with Derek Ufton he filled in when Godfrey Evans was playing for England. On Evan's retirement in 1959, Catt took over until the advent of Alan Knott and his long term back-up David Nichols in 1964...
(b 1933) was born in Edenbridge. - Henry SurteesHenry SurteesHenry John Surtees was a British racing driver and the son of John Surtees.-Formula BMW UK:Henry Surtees finished his debut season in the championship 7th in the overall points standings, and second in the Rookie Cup...
(1991–2009), racing driver, lived in Edenbridge. - William TaillourWilliam TaillourSir William Taillour sometimes spelt Taylor or Taylour was a wealthy grocer and Alderman who became Lord Mayor of London in 1468 ....
(1406–83), Lord Mayor Of LondonLord Mayor of LondonThe Right Honourable Lord Mayor of London is the legal title for the Mayor of the City of London Corporation. The Lord Mayor of London is to be distinguished from the Mayor of London; the former is an officer only of the City of London, while the Mayor of London is the Mayor of Greater London and...
in 1468 lived in Edenbridge