Brabourne

Brabourne is a village and civil parish in the Ashford district of Kent, England. The village centre is 4.5 miles (7.2 km) east of Ashford town centre. Due to a decrease in local occupancy rate, the population fell by 133 between 2001 and 2011.

The centre of the modern village of Brabourne is The Five Bells, a large pub, which overlooks the village green. The original village grew up some way to the east of this, around the ancient village church; this area is now sometimes referred to as East Brabourne. The original village has been outgrown by Brabourne Lees, in the civil parish a development of former pasture land to the south, near the A20 and M20 roads. The western part of the parish is a rural area with scattered farms.

The parish church is dedicated to St Mary the Blessed Virgin; there is also a Zion Strict Baptist Chapel in Brabourne Lees. The church of St. Mary is an ancient building of stone, in the Norman and Early English styles, and has a tower which was restored in 1923-4, containing 6 bells, augmented to 8 in 2002. There are numerous monuments to the Scott family, some brasses and several stained windows, one of which contains very early glass; the church affords seating for 200.

References

External links

• Ross, David, Brabourne, Kent, St Mary's Church Retrieved 18 September 2013
• Brabourne Parish Council

Coordinates: 51°8′18″N 1°0′3″E / 51.13833°N 1.00083°E / 51.13833; 1.00083