Farningham

Farningham is a village and civil parish in the Sevenoaks District of Kent, England. It is located 3 miles (5 km) south-east of Swanley. It has a population of 1,314.[1]

Farningham

Village sign
Farningham
Location within Kent
Population1,319 (2011 Census)[1]
OS grid referenceTQ5466
Civil parish
  • Farningham
District
Shire county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townDartford
Postcode districtDA4
Dialling code01322
PoliceKent
FireKent
AmbulanceSouth East Coast
UK Parliament

History

Farningham is believed to be home to Neolithic history – flint and other tools have been discovered and can be found in the Dartford Museum. The Romans occupied the general area after their invasion in the 1st century and, along with large evidence of habitation down the road in Lullingstone, there is also evidence of Roman habitation in Farningham. Three farmhouses and three villas have been unearthed. Charles Dickens was a visitor during his time for the trout fishing that the Darent provided.

The Domesday Book records that before the Norman conquest, Farningham was owned by an Anglo Saxon thane called Alstan.[2]

In the nineteenth century Farningham was adopted as the assumed surname of Marianne Farningham, a religious writer and editor, who was born here.[3]

Used only for WW1 there used to be an airfield used by the RAF for emergency landings.

The parish church is dedicated to St Peter and St Paul.

The parish was part of Axstane Hundred and later Dartford Rural District.

Transport

Roads

Farningham is situated upon the historic route of the A20, Kent's second major road between the capital and the channel ports. The village itself, with its narrow bridge over the River Darenth, and its narrow streets, was bypassed to the north east in the 1930s. The A225 runs along the Darenth valley and intersects the A20 at the village. The construction of the first sections of the M25 motorway and M20 motorway in the late 1970s bypassed the village again.

Rail

Farningham is not served by any railway stations directly; however, two stations are located within walking distance. These are:

Despite Farningham Road station being named after the village, Eynsford station is in fact the nearer of the two.

Buses

Mills

Farningham had a watermill, powered by the River Darent, the building of which survives. There was a windmill at Chimham's Farm, which was moved in 1880 to West Kingsdown, where it still stands.

Sport

Home to Farningham Cricket Club along Horton Way the club has been in existence since 1857 providing cricketing facilities for the local community. Currently fielding two senior league Saturday teams and one Sunday friendly team along with a thriving junior section.

References
  1. "Civil Parish population 2011". Neighbourhood Statistics. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 18 September 2016.
  2. Wadard and Vital
  3. "Hearn, Mary Anne" . Dictionary of National Biography (2nd supplement). London: Smith, Elder & Co. 1912.

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