Ditton, Kent

It lies in the Medway Valley, on the northern edge of the Kent Weald, and adjoins the ancient parishes of Larkfield, Aylesford and Barming.

A Mesolithic tranchet axe, a sharpening flake, three microliths and 36 blades were found at Ditton, but the exact site of the find is now unknown.

[3] Mesolithic flint implements, Iron Age pottery and pit dwellings have also been reported in the Holt Hill area of Ditton.

[4] An Anglo-Saxon spearhead was found in July 1962 by D. Tamkin in cutting through a natural knoll of sand on Messrs Reed's playing fields at Cobdown, Ditton.

In 1082, after it was discovered that Odo planned a military expedition to Italy, he was imprisoned, and his estates (including Ditton, Brampton, and Sifletone) were confiscated to the Crown.

"[1] The three manors (estates) of Ditton, Brampton, and Sifletone were back in common ownership in the reign of Henry VII, when they belonged to "Thomas Leigh of Sibton in Liminge".

He bequeathed Ditton Place to his nephew, Thomas Golding of Ryarsh, who sold it to John Brewer, a prominent lawyer and member of parliament.

[22] William Kempe, the parson of Ditton, was sued for £80 in 1534 for being absent from his parish and for taking a stipend for saying prayers for the souls of the dead (which was prohibited by a statute of 1529).

[26] John Stratton was also responsible for the restoration and alteration of St Peter’s Church in 1860, under the supervision of Sir (George) Gilbert Scott.

[30] Tilson died in 1750 and his memorial in St. Peter's AD Vincula Church records a bequest he made to the poor of "£100 in money, the yearly produce to be distributed annually on the feasts of All Saints and the Purification, in wood and wheat" (see inscription in photograph).

Lt. Col. Clifford Sheldon, DSO, was joint managing and senior director of Reeds, the paper manufacturer, and was connected with that firm and its associated companies from 1911 until his death in 1950 at the age of 62 years.

[45] The Ditton Church School was founded in 1853 as a place of education for 70 children,[46] and enlarged in 1887 by the Brassey family for Jubilee of Queen Victoria.

The monument was granted listed building status in 2000 as a result of Ditton Parish Council approaching the War Memorial Society for assistance to repair it.

Its position concerning transport links with London, notably the main roads and railways which tend towards the capital city, has also contributed to the village's development.

Bradbourne stream, which meanders through the parish in a south-east to north-west direction, rises in East Malling, crosses under the A20 road and M20 motorway, and joins the river Medway near the Aylesford Newsprint site.

Historically the availability of running water was essential to the early settlements that grew up in Kent, and to the establishment of industries in the area; such as providing power to drive the mills which ground grain.

On 7 May 2015 Ditton residents elected Tom Cannon & Ben Walker to represent them on Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council for 4 years.

[76] The parish of Ditton contains a number of agricultural, small commercial and industrial businesses, marking a historical shift from a farming-based community to a modern, mixed economy.

[78] Ditton's connection with the industry predates 1667,[79] when a paper mill was already established at an ancient settlement known as Coldharbour, which stood at the northern end of the millpond which can still be found - albeit now bisected by the M20 - just to the northeast of Cobdown House.

The business was seriously hampered by the advent of World War II, which caused a shortage of pulp to make newspapers and led to a different material, waste paper, being used in its place.

The 60-acre Newsprint plant belonged to SCA, paper manufacturers from Sweden, in partnership with Mondi, and £250 million was invested in developing the site.

The station was also well placed in terms of transport links since the nearby railway connected with London in one direction and the agricultural college at Wye in the other.

The purpose of the laboratory was to carry out experiments on the shipping of fruit across the high seas, in order to extend its life over long, seaborne journeys.

[65] The planning committee of Kent County Council granted permission for quarrying in part of the woodland, but the decision was referred to the Secretary of State.

On balance, however, members felt the job prospects and the economic need for ragstone to support construction in the county in future, and benefits of the project outweighed these objections.

"[93] The application was subsequently approved on appeal by the communities secretary, Eric Pickles, who observed that the economic benefits of being able to produce more ragstone and crushed rock from the site outweighed the loss of the wood.

The sister 72 Arriva service between Kings Hill and Maidstone Town Centre also passes through Ditton every 30 minutes (Monday - Saturday).

[99] The quarry is also a prime location for geological research and provides opportunities for field studies in a variety of disciplines: sedimentology, stratigraphy, palaeontology, geography, and industrial archaeology.

The quarry could be important for future research via gamma ray profiling of the rock beds in relation to changes in sea level and climate.

Facilities include a bar, with snooker and pool tables, a darts board, and a big screen for major sporting events.

A photograph of a shallow stream flowing round an s-bend
The ford in Bradbourne Stream, Ditton
A photograph of a small church with a steep V-shaped roof and a square tower at the far end
St. Peter's Ad Vincula Church, Ditton
Ditton Place, front view taken in the mid-1980s
Ditton Place following the fire of 1987 and shortly before demolition
A photograph of modern apartment block
Troutbeck House
A portrait of a lady painted with her hands crossed at her waist and showing her from the waist up. She is wearing a gorgeous corseted dress, trimmed with pearls, with ornate cuffs trimmed with lace. She is wearing a pearl necklace and on her head is an ornate headband worn vertically, which is also trimmed with pearls.
Catherine Howard
A photograph of a memorial in a wooden frame hanging on the wall of a church. The frame is a carved depiction of a Greek temple with columns and a small gable. The inscription is of gold lettering on a black background
Memorial to Thomas Tilson in St. Peter's Church.
A photograph of two oast houses. There are four cone-shaped kilns topped by white cowls rising from the v-shaped roofs of the houses
Manor Oast and Greenside Oast – geograph.org.uk – 1314809.jpg
A photograph showing a small monument at the roadside. The bottom of the white cast-iron monument is v-shaped towards the road. The right-hand side reads 'WROTHAM 7' and the left reads 'MAIDSTONE 3'. There is rust damage to its base. On the head of the monument, parallel to the road, the legend, in black-painted relief, reads 'To LONDON 31'
Milepost on the A20, Ditton (NGR TQ7155158319)
A photograph of small stone building with a v-shaped roof
Ditton Heritage Centre, in the old school house
A photograph of a tall stone monument with a crucifix in the centre and a small V-shaped roof supported by two pillars. The names of those who fell in the two world wars are carved in stone at the base of the monument
War Memorial, Ditton
An outline map of political and administrative divisions
Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council constituency in Kent.
A photograph of a modern factory with two large industrial buildings standing side by side and a loading area at the front. The name of the company is written in red lettering at the front of each building. A column of steam rises in the background
Aylesford Newsprint
A photograph showing an L-shaped oast building with two square cowls protruding from a V-shaped roof
Oast Building at the Research Station – geograph.org.uk – 1314804
A photograph of a large derelict brick building from the 1930s. The front of the building has a large, rounded archway in the art deco style. The lower windows are boarded up, and the panes of many of the upper windows are smashed
Former Ditton Laboratory on Kiln Barn Lane
A photograph showing quarrying operations with a mechanical digger in the centre extracting rock from a cliff face. To the left, a lorry is just leaving with a full load of rock, and to the right, another lorry is waiting to collect its load from the digger.
Hermitage Quarry
A photograph of a sign saying "Welcome to Ditton Quarry" and explaining the history of the nature reserve and containing an outline map of the walks available to visitors
Ditton Quarry Sign – geograph.org.uk – 1118063
A photograph of a public house in a large red-bricked terrace house with a V-shaped slated roof, and an unpainted wooden picket fence and slab of ragstone at the front
Kentish Quarryman