Yalding is a village and

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties, or their combined form, the unitary authorit ...

in the

Borough of Maidstone The Borough of Maidstone is a local government district with borough status in Kent, England. Its administrative centre is Maidstone, the county town of Kent. The borough was formed on 1 April 1974 by the merger of the Municipal Borough of M ...

in Kent, England. The village is situated south west of

Maidstone Maidstone is the largest town in Kent, England, of which it is the county town. Maidstone is historically important and lies 32 miles (51 km) east-south-east of London. The River Medway runs through the centre of the town, linking it wi ...

at a point where the Rivers Teise and Beult join the

River Medway The River Medway is a river in South East England. It rises in the High Weald, East Sussex and flows through Tonbridge, Maidstone and the Medway conurbation in Kent, before emptying into the Thames Estuary near Sheerness, a total distance ...

. At the 2001 census, the parish, which includes the villages of

Benover Benover is a village in the Maidstone district of Kent, England. It lies on the ''B2162'' road and is almost ten miles (16 km) by road south west of the town; its nearest village is Yalding Yalding is a village and civil parish in the ...

and

Laddingford Laddingford is a hamlet in the parish of Yalding in Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to th ...

, had a population of 2,236. increasing to 2,418 at the 2011 Census. YaldingTwyford0529

There are three bridges in the village; the Twyford Bridge (meaning ''twin ford'', where there was originally a double crossing of the two rivers) is one of the finest

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...

bridges in the south-east of England. Yalding was one of the principal shipment points on the River Medway for cannon, from villages of the

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. Iron ...

. One iron master was John Browne from

Horsmonden Horsmonden ( ) is a village in the borough of Tunbridge Wells in Kent, England. The village is located in the Weald of Kent. It is situated on a road leading from Maidstone to Lamberhurst, three miles north of the latter place. The nearest railw ...

. The wharf was later used for transporting fruit from the many orchards in the area.

History

The

Saxon The Saxons ( la, Saxones, german: Sachsen, ang, Seaxan, osx, Sahson, nds, Sassen, nl, Saksen) were a group of Germanic * * * * peoples whose name was given in the early Middle Ages to a large country (Old Saxony, la, Saxonia) near the Nor ...

village was called Twyford and was close to the bridge. But the name was recorded in the

Domesday Book Domesday Book () – the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book" – is a manuscript record of the "Great Survey" of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 by order of King William I, known as William the Conqueror. The manusc ...

as the ''Saxon manor of Hallinges seized by William the Conqueror and given to his half brother Odo of Bayeux'', Yalding was derived from the Olde English pre 7th century "Ealdingas" and translates as the place of the Ealda people a tribe who were widespread until the 9 the century (the old village). It was recorded in the "Domesday" as "Hallinges" by a Norman-French cleric who had little knowledge of the area. In 1212 it is recorded more correctly as "Ealding" (ref; www.surnamedb.com/Surname/Yalden.ref; www.britannica.com Encyclopaedia-Britannica William 1st King of England. ref; Yalding surname meaning and statistics https://forebears.io ref Anglo-Saxon settlement of Britain. Wikipedia. Phonological history of English diphthongs. Wikipedia) By 1642 this had mutated to Yaldinge. The

records from Yalding are so complete that it was used in a History Case Study for Secondary Schools, called The Yalding Project. During the

English Civil War The English Civil War (1642–1651) was a series of civil wars and political machinations between Parliamentarians (" Roundheads") and Royalists led by Charles I (" Cavaliers"), mainly over the manner of England's governance and issues of r ...

in 1643, a battle took place at Town Bridge between the

Roundheads Roundheads were the supporters of the Parliament of England during the English Civil War (1642–1651). Also known as Parliamentarians, they fought against King Charles I of England and his supporters, known as the Cavaliers or Royalists, who ...

and

Cavaliers The term Cavalier () was first used by Roundheads as a term of abuse for the wealthier royalist supporters of King Charles I and his son Charles II of England during the English Civil War, the Interregnum, and the Restoration (1642 – ). It ...

. The Cavaliers had advanced from

Aylesford Aylesford is a village and civil parish on the River Medway in Kent, England, northwest of Maidstone. Originally a small riverside settlement, the old village comprises around 60 houses, many of which were formerly shops. Two pubs, a village ...

towards

Tonbridge Tonbridge ( ) is a market town in Kent, England, on the River Medway, north of Royal Tunbridge Wells, south west of Maidstone and south east of London. In the administrative borough of Tonbridge and Malling, it had an estimated population ...

, but the Parliamentarian soldiers had marched to block their movements, bombarded them and forced their surrender, with the result that 300 were captured and 300 escaped. Yalding was a favourite of

Edith Nesbit Edith Nesbit (married name Edith Bland; 15 August 1858 – 4 May 1924) was an English writer and poet, who published her books for children as E. Nesbit. She wrote or collaborated on more than 60 such books. She was also a political activist a ...

, author of ''

The Railway Children ''The Railway Children'' is a children's book by Edith Nesbit, originally serialised in ''The London Magazine'' during 1905 and published in book form in the same year. It has been adapted for the screen several times, of which the 1970 fil ...

'', who wrote in the 1920s: "The Medway just above the Anchor (at Yalding, Kent) is a river of dreams...If you go to Yalding you may stay at the George and be comfortable in a little village that owns a haunted churchyard, a fine church, and one of the most beautiful bridges in Europe." The village was home to a chemicals manufacturing works from 1912 to 2003. In the early years it manufactured soap, then progressed to crop protection products under

Imperial Chemical Industries Imperial Chemical Industries (ICI) was a British chemical company. It was, for much of its history, the largest manufacturer in Britain. It was formed by the merger of four leading British chemical companies in 1926. Its headquarters were at ...

' Agrochemicals Division. It was run by

Syngenta Syngenta AG is a provider of agricultural science and technology, in particular seeds and pesticides with its management headquarters in Basel, Switzerland. It is owned by ChemChina, a Chinese state-owned enterprise. Syngenta was found ...

at the time of closure.

Garden Organic Garden Organic, formerly known as the Henry Doubleday Research Association (HDRA), is a UK organic growing charity dedicated to researching and promoting organic gardening, farming and food. The charity maintains the Heritage Seed Library to pres ...

, previously known as the Henry Doubleday Research Association, the UK's leading organic growing charity, created a demonstration garden near the village. This was closed in 2007 but was leased and reopened by the business Maro Foods, in 2008. The gardens are now known as the Yalding Gardens.

Buildings

St Peter's and St Paul's church is a Grade I

listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern I ...

. It is built from

ragstone Rag-stone is a name given by some architectural writers to work done with stones that are quarried in thin pieces, such as Horsham Stone, sandstone, Yorkshire stone, and the slate stones, but this is more properly flag or slab work. Near London ...

, and is judged to be from the 13th century. The tower turret has a weather vane dated 1734.The Greensand Way in Kent, 1992, Kent County Council, YaldingHovis0518

Rivers

Twyford Bridge crosses the

. It is just downstream of the automatic sluice where the river drops from +11.2m to +7.41m above mean sea level, the navigation bears left through the Hampstead Rd Canal, and the Hampstead Lock, the main stream drops over the weir and sluice and is joined here by the River Teise (Lesser Teise) and both pass under Twyford Bridge. The river then flows in a loop towards the village where it is joined by the River Beult which has passed under Town Bridge. However the main stream of the River Teise flowed into the Beult near Benover, 3 km upstream of Town Bridge. Twyford Bridge is not navigable. Twyford bridge is 16 km from Allington, where the Medway becomes tidal.The Medway navigation, Leaflet,March 1991, NRA-National Rivers Authority The medieval Town Bridge is built of ragstone in the 15th century, it has seven arches and spans the Beult and the marshy ground each side. It is reputed to be the longest existing medieval bridge in Kent being 150m in length. YaldingBeult0512

Floods

Parts of Yalding that have flooded before are, e.g.: * Christmas Day 1927 *eight times in the winter of 2000–1.Independent 10th Feb 2001
/ref> * in December 2013

Transport

Yalding village and environs are primarily served by Nu-Venture buses 23 and 26.

Yalding railway station Yalding railway station is on the Medway Valley Line in Kent, England, serving the village of Yalding. It is down the line from London Charing Cross via and is situated between and . The station and all trains that call are operated by Sout ...

lies on the Medway Valley Line which links Strood, Maidstone West, Yalding, Paddock Wood and Tonbridge.

Education

The village primary school is St Peter's and St Paul's Church of England Primary School. At secondary level, the school is in the Mascalls Academy Comprehensive catchment area. However, the village is home to many children who attend grammar schools in the neighbouring town of Maidstone.

Leisure

Yalding has a

cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by st ...

club whose (first recorded game) was in 1798. The cricket pitch was once beside the River Medway on the Lees (Village

Common Common may refer to: Places * Common, a townland in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland * Boston Common, a central public park in Boston, Massachusetts * Cambridge Common, common land area in Cambridge, Massachusetts * Clapham Common, originally ...

). They currently play on the Kintons ground. The Greensand Way long-distance footpath crosses the Medway at Twyford Bridge, and follows up the High Street, passes through Blunden Lane, and leaves the village by an ancient byway by Bustom Farm Cottages. The

Medway Valley Walk The Medway Valley Walk follows the River Medway from Rochester to Tonbridge. Above Allington, it follows the bank of the Medway Navigation. It starts on the Saxon Shore Way at Rochester. The North Downs Way crosses the Medway Valley Walk a ...

follows the river from

to the sluice on the east bank, then the Hampstead Lane Canal, and the river to Maidstone on the west bank. Yalding Organic Garden has a display of fourteen individual gardens, demonstrating gardening through the last 800 years. The plants have been carefully chosen to make sure that they are accurate to their historical period. Yalding has a popular annual contemporary music festival called 'The Vicar's Picnic', set on the edge of the village. Taking place every July it attracts up to 4000 visitors who camp in adjoining fields. Notable acts that have recently performed include The Fun Lovin' Criminals, Starsailor, Reef, Norman Jay MBE, Seb Fontaine, Bruce Foxton, Nightmares on Wax, 90's Indie Britpop band

Cast Cast may refer to: Music * Cast (band), an English alternative rock band * Cast (Mexican band), a progressive Mexican rock band * The Cast, a Scottish musical duo: Mairi Campbell and Dave Francis * ''Cast'', a 2012 album by Trespassers William ...

, Canterbury folk-hiphop act, 'Coco & the Butterfields' and The Bluetones lead vocalist Mark Morriss. The festival is taking a break in 2019, returning in 2020. The Yalding and District Beekeepers Association was formed in January 2011, by a group of local beekeepers, and meets monthly in the Chequers Inn, Laddingford. There is a football club, formed in 2011 – Yalding and Laddingford FC based at the Kintons ground and the Jubilee field Laddingford with teams in the Maidstone and Mid Kent Sunday League. The teams are in Div 1 and 3. In 2012 club formed a side to play in the Tonbridge Saturday league . A new junior section of under 10's and under 13's was formed in 2013. In April 2014 the Saturday side won the club's first major silverware by winning the Chairman's cup at Longmead Stadium and the following week the Sunday reserve side became league winners. Following this season the club was accepted into the Kent County League in division 3 East. The club has a junior section with 7 teams playing between the ages of 6 and 18. At present the club have 1 sides at u7 1 at u8, one each at u10, ,2 at u11, 1 at u13 and 1 at u14 a junior futsal side and an u18 side.

Notable people

Edmund Blunden Edmund Charles Blunden (1 November 1896 – 20 January 1974) was an English poet, author, and critic. Like his friend Siegfried Sassoon, he wrote of his experiences in World War I in both verse and prose. For most of his career, Blunden was a ...

, (1896-1974), Great War poet, lived in Yalding during the first decade of the twentieth century and the village inspired more than fifty of his poems.Bergonzi, Bernard, "Blunden, Edmund Charles (1896–1974)", Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 200
accessed 28 Nov 2008
/ref> * Barry Evans, (1943–1997), actor best known for the sitcoms '' Doctor In The House'' and ''

Mind Your Language ''Mind Your Language'' is a British sitcom that premiered on ITV in 1977. It was produced by London Weekend Television and directed by Stuart Allen. Three series were made by the London Weekend Television between 1977 and 1979 and briefly re ...

'', lived in Yalding for a short time. * David Sadler, (b. 1946), football player, was born in Yalding.

References

External links

Yalding Parish Council

Notes on Yalding

Yalding parish church

photos of Yalding and surrounding area on geograph
{{authority control Villages in Kent Civil parishes in Kent