Appledore, Kent

Appledore
Village
Appledore is located in Kent
Appledore
Appledore
Location within Kent
Area12.46 km2 (4.81 sq mi)
Population832 (Civil Parish 2021)[1]
• Density67/km2 (170/sq mi)
OS grid referenceTQ956295
Civil parish
  • Appledore
District
Shire county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townASHFORD
Postcode districtTN26
Dialling code01233
PoliceKent
FireKent
AmbulanceSouth East Coast
UK Parliament

Appledore is a village and civil parish[3] in the Ashford District of Kent, England. The village centre is on the northern edge of the Romney Marsh, 12 miles (19 km) south-west of Ashford town.[4] The northerly part of this village is Appledore Heath.

Etymology

Appledore is first recorded within the Doomsday Book as apuldre (meaning apple tree in Old English).[5][6] Alternatively, a Brythonic origin of "dwr/dor" has been proposed, which means water and would refer to the village’s connection to the River Rother as a historic port.[7][8]

History

Middle ages

In 2015, two fragmented ancient roman pottery shards dating between 75 AD to 150 AD would be identified in Appledore during archeological monitoring[9] in 892 AD, Coming from Boulogne, a danish fleet of 250 ships and 5000 men docked along the River Limen (River Rother). The danish men would build fortification in Appledore for the winter, and launch an incursion into Wessex the following Spring.[10][7]

In 1997, A hoard of Anglo-Saxon coins would be found near Appledore by metal detectors. Found within ceramic pottery, many of the coins would have the ‘Expanding Cross’ seen during Edward The Confessor. Over 34 mints were represented, of which half would be minted in Canterbury. There would contain the first known coin types from Sandwich and Romney Marsh. The hoard was likely buried between 1051 to 1052.[11][12]

In 1086, the village would be recorded in the Doomsday Book. A church is recorded, but no stonework of the period can identify it to St Peter and St Paul.[13][14] The village would have a population of roughly 300: 78 households, 37 villagers and 41 smallholders. 6 fisheries would be described. There would be around 8 plough lands with 3 plough teams of oxen. Around 2 acres of meadows would be recorded, and a woodland that supported around 6 swine. In total, the land brought a value of 16 pounds 17 shillings and 5 pence to its lord.[5]

Violent storms would hit Appledore. First documented storm would strike in 1236, causing coastal flooding.[15][16] In October 1250, a storm second would hit.[17]

‘Very violent and extraordinary in nature’ described by chroniclers.[18]

The storm would make a breach in the shingle barrier, causing the River Rother to gradually slit.[17][19] The breaches in the shingle beach would enlarge and by 1258 the River Rother reached as far Appledore.[20][21] In 1258, The Rhee Canal would be dug up 12.07 kilometres (7.5 miles) between Appledore to New Romney.[22][23] The storm of 1287 would sweep shingle across the mouth of the channel at Romney and cause flood.[15] The overflow to the River Rother would change course from Appledore to just a few miles east of Rye.[19][24]

Dated to the 13th century, a lead seal matrix of 22.86 millimetres (0.9 inches) in diameter would be found in 1981. Inscribed on it would be S'PhILIRIChAIVN (Seal of Philip Richaiun)[25] Between 1314 and 1316, Appledore had around 55 shops, with stalls beside them. The manorial income from renting these spaces would reach 18 shillings. Land behind the stalls would become derelict by 1335.[26][27] In 1349, the black death would hit and a quote from a tax collector from the time reads as followed,

‘Nine shillings received from the shops in the town and no more because all the holders who used to be there are dead’[7][28]

King Edward III would grant the village a weekly market and annual fair in 1359, which would be held until the end of the 14th century.[29] During the Hundreds’ Year War, in 1380, the French army would sail upriver and pillage Appledore.[14][30] The following year, inhabitants joined the Peasants Revolt and be led by Wat Tyler. The force would break into Horne’s Place, the house of William de Horne, and take goods worth 10 pounds from the house.[31][32] Jack Cade and his army would march through the village in 1450, wanting to reform the government of Henry VI.[33][34]

Modern era

Monks would let out Court Lodge to well-off Yeomen, who could be self-sufficient and work the land profitably. Dated 1513, a lease recalls the property let of Lodge Court and a farm to William Brockhill. In his later will in 1520, he would leave an endowment to pay towards a school in Appledore and provisions for a salary for a priest to teach for perpetuity.[35][36] Funds in 1523 would go towards building a conduit to carry running water to the market.[7] In 1583, Queen Elizabeth I would become a tenant of Appledore Manor.[37][29]

In October 1804, construction would begin on the Royal Military Canal due to the rising threat of Napoleon.[38][39] Construction work would be done by civilians with Miltia units working on ramparts and turfing the banks. It would take between 1808 to 1809 for the Royal Military Canal to be fully completed[40][41] In 1842, there would be a gun accident in the local Swan Hotel, resulting in the death of pub’s owner 26 year old son. The man was out shooting with his friends. One of the barrels already discharged, Mr Pearson, who walking through a hedge when the trigger of his barrel was caught by a large tree branch. It would cause the gun to fire, hitting the 26 year old straight in the head and dropping him dead. Mr Pearson would be deemed as not guilty.[42]

Ordnance map between 1869 and 1882

In the honour rolls, previously within Methodist Chapel, there would be listed 61 men from Appledore who served during World War I. 16 of those men named were killed. However, it is believed to only relate to former pupils, with an additional 9 men listed on the rolls of honour in St Peter’s & St Paul’s Church.[43] Puds such as The Swan Hotel would be restricted during the wartime. The 4th Battalion of the South Lancashire Regiment would line up and inspect the Royal Military Canal between October to November of 1914, and were billeted in local homes. In February 1915, The Kentish Gazette would publish a honours rolls and include an additional 19. Avery and Son, local postoffice and shop, would be where ration books were registered during 1918.[44][45][46]

In July 1936, Miss Dorothy Johnston would purchase a three-mile stretch between Appledore and Warehorne. She would present it to the National Trust. By September 1938, residents of Appledore were first handed out gas masks. Households would prepare for the possibility of billeting children to the rural location; 267 children would be allotted to homes in Appledore. On May 1939, the First Aid Post relocated from the village hall to a sitting-room due to the halls use by soldiers. The village hall would act as a lecture hall and cookhouse for men stationed in Appledore.[47][48] The first wave of the evacuations would come on the 3rd of September 1939. 75 children and their mothers were relocated from Catford to Appledore. On the same month, ration books were issued for food and petrol. The Battle of Britain would be visible overhead, and Miss Dorothy Johnston would write.[48]

‘There seemed heaps of planes going over. There was constant whirring while I was getting lunch. The soldiers are now made to put on their tin hats whether on duty or not.’

During the midnight of the 18th August 1940, A bomb would be dropped on Terry's field, near Appledore .[49][50] On the 5th September 1940, a Messerschmitt Bf 109 would be shot down by Sergeant C.A.L. The plane would crash into Appledore Station.[51] Later, it would be discovered in 1986 in perfect preservation in the marsh and would be identified as Lieutenant Helmut Strobl.[52][53][54] 15th of the same month, a Hurricane V6688 would be shot down during aerial combat.[55] While in action with the enemy, a Spitfire N3283 would be shot down 3 days later.[56] By early 1945, blackout curtains would be taken down[48][47]

Religion

The medieval parish church is dedicated to Saints Peter and Paul.[57] In the 2021 Cencus, around 60.3% of residents identified as Christian.[58]

Transport

The B2080 is a local road connecting Appledore with Tenterden and Brenzett, where it meets the A259 South Coast Trunk Road. The Royal Military Road follows the canal southwest from Appledore to Rye.[59]

The Marshlink Line railway line runs between Ashford International and Hastings via Appledore railway station, which is around 1.5 miles (2.4 km) from the village.[60] The line reduces from dual to single track beyond the station towards Rye and Hastings.[61]

Education

Within the Appledore, there are no schools in the village. The area relies on surrounding areas for these facilities. The nearest primary schools are Woodchurch CE Primary School and Brenzett Primary School for students aged 4 to 11.[62][63] The nearest secondary school and sixth form is Homewood School & Sixth Form Centre.[64] The area benefits for being nearby the Ashford, with a range of primary and secondary school choices.

Parkwood

Parkwood is an 80-acre (32 ha) semi-natural deciduous forest 5 miles (8 km) east south east of Tenterden near Appledore.[65] The area is managed by Kent County Council Parks Service.[66][67]

Car park entrance, Parkwood Picnic Site
Car park entrance, Parkwood Picnic Site

Heading north from Appledore towards Brattle, there is a car park along Woodchurch Road. Parking is free for visitors.[66] In a survey of countryside sites and parks visited in the last year, around 1% of respondents said they visited Parkwood. This was a total of 3 people.[68]

Appledore, Kent is located in Kent
Appledore, Kent
Park Wood shown within Kent (grid reference TQ964316)

Traditional rotational coppicing is actively used in the management of the woods. This benefits the nesting of nuthatch, woodpeckers and warblers.[67] Oak from coppicing was used for Shorne Woods Country Park's visitor centre as oak thinnings. for the door and window joinery.[69]

Plant species include wood rush and St John’s Wort, and in the late spring bluebells can be spotted. The wood is surrounded by three others: Great Heron Wood (to the north), Little Heron Wood (to the east) and Butness Wood (further to the east).[67] In 2013, around fifty shoes tied to the branches of an oak tree would be discovered by a local councillor.[70]

Appledore was the setting for A. A. Milne's famous verse poem, "The Knight Whose Armour Didn't Squeak". Milne lived 29 miles (47 km) west in Hartfield, Sussex.

The fictional village of Plummergen, in the "Miss Seeton" series of crime novels by Heron Carvic, is based on Appledore.[71]

Appledore features in the series Darling Buds of May.

Notable people

See also

References

  1. ↑ Key Statistics; Quick Statistics: Population Density United Kingdom Census 2021 Office for National Statistics
  2. ↑ "Location of Weald of Kent". parliament.uk. Retrieved 13 February 2025.
  3. ↑ "Appledore Kent".
  4. ↑ Mills, Stephen. "Whoops, the requested page was not found - Ashford Borough Council".
  5. 1 2 "Appledore | Domesday Book". opendomesday.org. Retrieved 20 August 2026.
  6. ↑ AncientHistoryWorks (1685). The History Of Britain.
  7. 1 2 3 4 "Origins & History - Appledore Local History Society". 8 September 2017. Retrieved 21 August 2026.
  8. ↑ Furley, Robert (1874). A history of the weald of Kent. 2 vols. [in 3 pt.].
  9. ↑ "Findspot record TQ 92 NE 183 - Roman and medieval pottery finds, 22 The Street, Appledore". Kent County Council: Historic Environment Record.
  10. ↑ Ramsay, Sir James Henry (1898). The Foundations of England: B.C. 55-A.D. 1066. S. Sonnenschein & Company, Limited.
  11. ↑ "Appledore Coin Hoard - Appledore Local History Society". 18 January 2019. Retrieved 21 August 2026.
  12. ↑ "Findspot record TQ 93 SE 17 - Late Anglo-Saxon coin hoard, Appledore".{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  13. ↑ Hanagan, Mike; Cox, Pat (17 April 2012). Legends of Kent. Pat Cox / Mike Hanagan. ISBN 978-1-4701-7424-8.
  14. 1 2 rother country. Bob Chantler.
  15. 1 2 Sussex.), William HOLLOWAY (of Rye, in (1849). The History of Romney Marsh, from Its Earliest Formation to 1837. With a Glance at Its Adjacencies and Some Remarks on the Situation of the Ancient Anderida.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  16. ↑ Holloway, William (1849). The History of Romney Marsh ... J.R. Smith.
  17. 1 2 Institution, Surveyors' (1884). Transactions. The Institution.
  18. ↑ Sussex.), William HOLLOWAY (of Rye, in (1849). The History of Romney Marsh, from Its Earliest Formation to 1837. With a Glance at Its Adjacencies and Some Remarks on the Situation of the Ancient Anderida.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  19. 1 2 "Storm of 1287". History of Romney Marsh. Retrieved 22 August 2026.
  20. ↑ Rose, Susan (6 October 2013). England's Medieval Navy, 1066–1509: Ships, Men & Warfare. Seaforth Publishing. ISBN 978-1-4738-5354-6.
  21. ↑ Eddison, Jill (2000). Romney Marsh: Survival on a Frontier. Tempus. ISBN 978-0-7524-1486-7.
  22. ↑ Ardley, Nick (10 November 2023). Sailing Through Life... Austin Macauley Publishers. ISBN 978-1-3984-8135-0.
  23. ↑ Cracknell, Basil E. (2005). Outrageous Waves: Global Warming & Coastal Change in Britain Through Two Thousand Years. Phillimore. ISBN 978-1-86077-344-0.
  24. ↑ Brown, Peter J. (21 August 2023). Meteorological Disasters in Medieval Britain (AD 1000‒1500): Archaeological, Historical and Climatological Perspectives within a Wider European Context. Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG. ISBN 978-3-11-071965-9.
  25. ↑ "Findspot record TQ 92 NE 11 - Medieval seal, Appledore". Historic Environment Record: Kent County Council.
  26. ↑ "Tenterden Kent website, shops, business, services, tourism, news, events". Tenterden Kent. Retrieved 21 August 2026.
  27. ↑ "Appledore: a small medieval port" (PDF). Squarespace. Retrieved 21 August 2026.
  28. ↑ "STUDYING HISTORY AND ARCHAEOLOGY IN LYMPNE (SHAL)" (PDF). LYMPNE NEWSETTLER. 2018.
  29. 1 2 "Appledore Kent - (Danes invade England) - an English Village (UK)". Archived from the original on 14 April 2010. Retrieved 8 April 2010.
  30. ↑ Simmons, Gail (16 February 2023). Between the Chalk and the Sea: A journey on foot into the past. Headline. ISBN 978-1-4722-8029-9.
  31. ↑ Archaeologia Cantiana. Kent Archaeological Society. 1994.
  32. ↑ Pearson, Sarah; Barnwell, P. S.; Adams, Allan T.; Monuments (England), Royal Commission on Historical (1994). A Gazetteer of Medieval Houses in Kent. H.M. Stationery Office. ISBN 978-0-11-300049-4.
  33. ↑ Hanagan, Mike; Cox, Pat (17 April 2012). Legends of Kent. Pat Cox / Mike Hanagan. ISBN 978-1-4701-7424-8.
  34. ↑ Mason, Oliver (1979). South-east England. J. Bartholomew. ISBN 978-0-7028-1019-0.
  35. ↑ "Land ownership in Appledore 1500-1900". Kent History & Archaeology. Retrieved 21 August 2026.
  36. ↑ Alan, Tribe (2024). "APPLEDORE LOCAL HISTORY SOCIETY" (PDF).{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  37. ↑ "Appledore - (Danes invade England)". villagenet.co.uk. Retrieved 21 August 2026.
  38. ↑ Historical notes Archived April 11, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
  39. ↑ "Data Catalogue". archaeologydataservice.ac.uk. Retrieved 21 August 2026.
  40. ↑ "The Royal Military Canal - Appledore Local History Society". 17 January 2018. Retrieved 20 August 2026.
  41. ↑ "Royal Military Canal". History of Romney Marsh. Retrieved 20 August 2026.
  42. ↑ "SWAN HOTEL Pub of Appledore". www.dover-kent.com. Retrieved 24 August 2026.
  43. ↑ "Appledore, the two World Wars and some bits in between! - Appledore Local History Society". 28 November 2017. Retrieved 24 August 2026.
  44. ↑ "Appledore First World War" (PDF). 100 Miles in 100 years.
  45. ↑ "WW2 - Appledore Local History Society". 28 November 2017. Retrieved 24 August 2026.
  46. ↑ "Appledore, the two World Wars and some bits in between! - Appledore Local History Society". 28 November 2017. Retrieved 24 August 2026.
  47. 1 2 "WW2 - Appledore Local History Society". 28 November 2017. Retrieved 27 August 2026.
  48. 1 2 3 Stimpson, Felicity. Dorothy Johnston of Appledore: her wartime experiences and gift of a stretch of the Royal Military Canal to the National Trust. Maidstone: Kent Archaeological Society.
  49. ↑ "Bomb fragment". 1940.
  50. ↑ "Unknown Error". static.nationaltrust.org.uk. Retrieved 27 August 2026.
  51. ↑ "Battle of Britain September 1940 day by day". Battle of Britain 80th Anniversary. Retrieved 27 August 2026.
  52. ↑ FRAeS, Dilip Sarkar MBE FRHistS (30 November 2025). Battle of Britain Remembered. Air World. ISBN 978-1-3990-5815-5.
  53. ↑ Saunders, Andy (19 October 2010). Finding the Foe: Outstanding Mysteries of the Battle of Britain and Beyond Investigated and Solved. Grub Street Publishing. ISBN 978-1-908117-82-3.
  54. ↑ Wiseman, Christopher (1989). Missing Persons. Sono Nis Press. ISBN 978-1-55039-024-7.
  55. ↑ "Pilot Officer T J T Stephenson: injured; shot down, aerial combat, Appledore, Kent,..."
  56. ↑ "Pilot Officer A C Bartley: injured; enemy action, Appledore, Kent, Spitfire N3283, 92..."
  57. ↑ Appledore parish church Archived May 15, 2006, at the Wayback Machine
  58. ↑ "City Population: Check for Humans". www.citypopulation.de. Retrieved 23 August 2026.
  59. ↑ "Tenant Guide to Houses for Rent in Ashford Kent". www.evolutionproperties.co.uk.
  60. ↑ White, H.P. (1976). Forgotten Railways : Vol 6 – South-East England. David & Charles. p. 97. ISBN 0-946537-37-2.
  61. ↑ Gray, Adrian (1990). South Eastern Railway. Middleton Press. p. 211. ISBN 978-0-906-52085-7.
  62. ↑ "Welcome". Woodchurch CE Primary School. Archived from the original on 16 May 2026. Retrieved 23 August 2026.
  63. ↑ "Brenzett Primary School".
  64. ↑ "Homewood School & Sixth Form Centre". www.homewood-school.co.uk. Retrieved 23 August 2026.
  65. ↑ Trodd, Paul (24 January 2016). "Plovers Blog: Sanderlings, DBO Report & Park Wood". Plovers Blog. Retrieved 19 August 2026.
  66. 1 2 "Parkwood Picnic Site - Kent County Council". www.kent.gov.uk. Retrieved 19 August 2026.
  67. 1 2 3 "Parkwood Picnic Site". Archived from the original on 5 March 2012. Retrieved 10 July 2012.
  68. ↑ KCC Country Parks Strategy Consultation Report FINAL REPORT February 2023
  69. ↑ "Shorne Wood's Sweet chestnut cruck frame -".
  70. ↑ "Shoe tree in Appledore". Kent Online. 13 January 2013. Retrieved 19 August 2026.
  71. ↑ Booktrail to Plummergen with Miss Seeton
  72. ↑ Mee, Arthur (1936). The King's England: Arthur Mee's Kent. The Caxton Publishing Company. p. 21.
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