Toys Hill
Encyclopedia
Toys Hill is a hamlet in Brasted
civil parish
in the Sevenoaks
district of Kent
, England
. It lies to the south of Brasted Chart
, also in the parish. The hamlet is situated on the scarp slope of the Greensand Ridge
, a high escarpment formed of Lower Greensand sandstone immediately north of the Weald
. The thickly wooded Toys Hill (235 metres (771 ft)) is the highest point on the Greensand Ridge
to the north of the Weald
.
Within the hamlet, there are outstanding views of the Weald from a terrace, which also includes a sunken well, on Puddledock Lane. The terrace was donated in 1898 by Octavia Hill
, one of the founders of the National Trust
, who lived at nearby Crockham Hill
, and it was one of the National Trust's first properties.
The National Trust has since acquired considerably more land at Toys Hill through donations, culminating in 1981 with the acquisition of extensive woodlands through a special appeal, the final acquisition being called the Octavia Hill Woodland. The National Trust's Toys Hill estate now runs to more than 200 acres (80.9 ha) of woodland.
The area has been designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest
because of its abundant wildlife, and much of it is recognised as a Grade I site of national importance for nature conservation.
Toys Hill was part of the Common of Brasted Chart where local people once kept pigs and cattle, gathered peat and firewood and quarried Chertstone for their roads and buildings. Various pits that are visible in the high woods of Toys Hill include pits dug by charcoal burners and chert pits, for quarrying chert, a hard sandstone found in the Lower Greensand formation that has been extracted for many centuries for local road stone and building stone.
The dense woodlands that crown Toys Hill and the surrounding plateau were badly affected by the Great Storm of 1987
. Toys Hill used to be well known for its groves of ancient beech pollards, dating back to the early days of grazing, but only a few survived the 1987 storm. The woods have since regenerated with sessile oak, beech and birch saplings. Parts of one woodland, Scords Wood, are managed on a non-intervention ‘hands off’ basis, so that natural development after the storm can be studied by Natural England
.
Brasted
Brasted is a village and civil parish in the Sevenoaks District of Kent, England. The parish is located to the west of Sevenoaks town. The parish includes the settlements of Brasted Chart and Toys Hill, and had a population of 1321 persons . The single slightly winding street of the village has a...
civil parish
Civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and, where they are found, the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties...
in the Sevenoaks
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...
district 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...
. It lies to the south of Brasted Chart
Brasted Chart
Brasted Chart is a hamlet within the civil parish of Brasted in the Sevenoaks District of Kent, England. It lies to the south of Brasted and the North of Four Elms. It joins another hamlet called Toys Hill....
, also in the parish. The hamlet is situated on the scarp slope of the Greensand Ridge
Greensand Ridge
The Greensand Ridge is an extensive, prominent, often heavily wooded, sandstone escarpment and range of hills in south-east England. It runs in a horseshoe shape around the Weald of Surrey, Sussex and Kent. It reaches its highest elevation, , at Leith Hill in Surrey—the second highest point...
, a high escarpment formed of Lower Greensand sandstone immediately north of the Weald
Weald
The Weald is the name given to an area in South East England situated between the parallel chalk escarpments of the North and the South Downs. It should be regarded as three separate parts: the sandstone "High Weald" in the centre; the clay "Low Weald" periphery; and the Greensand Ridge which...
. The thickly wooded Toys Hill (235 metres (771 ft)) is the highest point on the Greensand Ridge
Greensand Ridge
The Greensand Ridge is an extensive, prominent, often heavily wooded, sandstone escarpment and range of hills in south-east England. It runs in a horseshoe shape around the Weald of Surrey, Sussex and Kent. It reaches its highest elevation, , at Leith Hill in Surrey—the second highest point...
to the north of the Weald
Weald
The Weald is the name given to an area in South East England situated between the parallel chalk escarpments of the North and the South Downs. It should be regarded as three separate parts: the sandstone "High Weald" in the centre; the clay "Low Weald" periphery; and the Greensand Ridge which...
.
Within the hamlet, there are outstanding views of the Weald from a terrace, which also includes a sunken well, on Puddledock Lane. The terrace was donated in 1898 by Octavia Hill
Octavia Hill
Octavia Hill was an English social reformer, whose main concern was the welfare of the inhabitants of cities, especially London, in the second half of the nineteenth century. Born into a family with a strong commitment to alleviating poverty, she herself grew up in straitened circumstances owing...
, one of the founders of the National Trust
National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty
The National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, usually known as the National Trust, is a conservation organisation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland...
, who lived at nearby Crockham Hill
Crockham Hill
Crockham Hill is a village in the Sevenoaks district of Kent, England. It is about south of Westerham, and Chartwell is nearby.The village street is on the line of a Roman road, the London to Lewes Way....
, and it was one of the National Trust's first properties.
The National Trust has since acquired considerably more land at Toys Hill through donations, culminating in 1981 with the acquisition of extensive woodlands through a special appeal, the final acquisition being called the Octavia Hill Woodland. The National Trust's Toys Hill estate now runs to more than 200 acres (80.9 ha) of woodland.
The area has been designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest
Site of Special Scientific Interest
A Site of Special Scientific Interest is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom. SSSIs are the basic building block of site-based nature conservation legislation and most other legal nature/geological conservation designations in Great Britain are based upon...
because of its abundant wildlife, and much of it is recognised as a Grade I site of national importance for nature conservation.
History
Toys Hill probably took its name in the Middle Ages from a local land-owning family. In 1295, Robert Toys paid 12d to the Manor of Otford for the right to keep pigs in Otford Woods and it is likely that he or his family gave their name to this area of Brasted Chart.Toys Hill was part of the Common of Brasted Chart where local people once kept pigs and cattle, gathered peat and firewood and quarried Chertstone for their roads and buildings. Various pits that are visible in the high woods of Toys Hill include pits dug by charcoal burners and chert pits, for quarrying chert, a hard sandstone found in the Lower Greensand formation that has been extracted for many centuries for local road stone and building stone.
The dense woodlands that crown Toys Hill and the surrounding plateau were badly affected by the Great Storm of 1987
Great Storm of 1987
The Great Storm of 1987 occurred on the night of 15/16 October 1987, when an unusually strong weather system caused winds to hit much of southern England and northern France...
. Toys Hill used to be well known for its groves of ancient beech pollards, dating back to the early days of grazing, but only a few survived the 1987 storm. The woods have since regenerated with sessile oak, beech and birch saplings. Parts of one woodland, Scords Wood, are managed on a non-intervention ‘hands off’ basis, so that natural development after the storm can be studied by Natural England
Natural England
Natural England is the non-departmental public body of the UK government responsible for ensuring that England's natural environment, including its land, flora and fauna, freshwater and marine environments, geology and soils, are protected and improved...
.