Fascinating Things You Didn’t Know About Kent
Kent Day is celebrated on 26th May each year, and to mark this occasion we have taken a look what makes our county such an interesting place to visit, as well as a special place to live.
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Kent Held Britain’s First Motor Show
Less than a year after the World’s first motor show was held in Paris, Britain’s first ever motor show was held in Kent. In October 1895 the Horseless Carriage Exhibition took place at the agricultural showground in Tunbridge Wells. This year, on 2nd-3rd August, the Royal Tunbridge Wells Festival of Motoring: The 4th Horseless Carriage Exhibition will be held on The Pantiles, celebrating 130 years of motoring in Royal Tunbridge Wells.
Kent Supplies the Strawberries for Wimbledon
Located here in the Garden of England, Hugh Lowe Farms in Maidstone have been supplying all the strawberries to the Wimbledon Championships for more than 25 years.
Famous Faces With Links To Kent
- Mick Jagger grew up in Dartford
- Shane MacGowan was born in Pembury
- Orlando Bloom went to school in Canterbury
- David Bowie lived in Maidstone during the early 1960s
- Dame Kelly Homes was born in Pembury
- Keane's drummer Richard Hughes was born in Gravesend
- Pete Tong was born in Dartford and was educated in Rochester
- Ellie Goulding was awarded an honorary degree by the University of Kent
- Keith Richards was born in Dartford
- Joss Stone was born in Dover
Kent Has One Of England's Three Royal Towns
England has only three royal towns, one of which is here in our county – Royal Tunbridge Wells. Ther other two towns are Royal Leamington Spa and Royal Wootton Bassett. Tunbridge Wells was granted its royal status in 1909 due to its popularity with the Royal family.
Image Photo by Nick Fewings on Unsplash
Kent Saw UK Road Markings First
The first white lines to be painted on UK roads were put on the London to Folkestone Road in Ashford in 1914. The introduction of white lines was in a bid to improve road safety.
Whole Village in Kent Owned By The National Trust
The village of Chiddingstone (except the school, church and castle) is owned by the National Trust. This has been the case since 1939 and the National Trsut says: “Conservation work has helped it remain one of the best-preserved Tudor villages in the country.” If you are interested in folklore, then making a visit to the Chiding Stone, which gives the village its name, is a must.
Kent’s Literary Links
The “father of English literature” himself indeed put Kent on the literary map. Geoffrey Chaucer is best known for The Canterbury Tales, a collection of 24 stories following a pilgrimage from London to the shrine of St Becket at Canterbury Cathedral.
You can still see Kent's links with Charles Dickens, author of classics such as Great Expectations and David Copperfield, today with Dickens House Museum. Located in Broadstairs, it is housed in the cottage that was “Charles Dickens’ inspiration for the home of Betsey Trotwood in David Copperfield”.
Jane Austen’s family came from Kent and she visited the county many times – you can find out more about the local connections while exploring a two-and-a-half mile walk that picks out the highlights in Tonbridge.
Novelist Frederick Forsyth, who was born in Ashford, Kent, is still making his mark to this day – his novel Day of the Jackal recently hit the screens on Sky TV with a new production of the political thriller, which previously was dramatised in a film of the same name in 1973.
Novelist Ian Fleming, the creator of the iconic James Bond character, was born in London but bought a holiday home in Kent’s St Margaret’s Bay in 1952 and the county provided much inspiration for him.
Other writers said to have been inspired by the county include TS Eliot, Christopher Marlowe and the great William Shakespeare.
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Kent Has Britain’s “Most Haunted Village”
Pluckley is believed to be the most haunted village in Britain, which has put it in the Guinness Book of Records. Ghosts that are alleged to reside there include a highwayman, phantom coach and horses, and both a White Lady and Red Lady, as well as that of a dog.
Pocahontas Was Buried In Kent
The Native American Princess Pocahontas is buried in St George’s Church, Gravesend. When heading to Virginia in 1617 she became ill aboard the ship and was taken ashore at Gravesend, where she later died. The exact site of her grave is unknown.
Kent Is Home To The Smallest Town In Britain
Fordwich in Kent is the smallest town in Britain. The 1993 Guinness Book of Records listed it as the smallest community by population in Britain with a town council.
Kent Is Believed To Have One Of The Earliest Passenger Railways
The earliest locomotive-driven passenger-carrying railway in Britain with a regular passenger service is believed to be the Canterbury and Whitstable Railway, also known as the Crab and Winkle Line, which opened in 1830. It closed as a railway in 1952 and there is now a family cycle path linking Canterbury and Whitstable called the Crab and Winkle Way.
Oldest Known Horse Fossil Found In Kent
The oldest known horse fossil, dating back 54 million years, was found in Herne Bay in 1838. The discovery of fragments of a skull were important in understanding the evolution of the horse.
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