Benenden, Kent

Description
Benenden, a village and a parish in Kent. The village stands 3 miles SE of Cranbrook, and 8 S of Staplehurst station on the S.E.R., and has a post office under Staplehurst. It is a place of great antiquity, contains several good old houses, and presents a pleasant appearance. It once was noted for cloth manufacture, and it has a fair on 15 May. The parish comprises 6693 acres; population, 1596. Ponds and springs abound. A beacon stood near the village during the civil wars, forming part of a line of communication between Tenterden and London. The St George's Club was erected in 1881 by Viscount Cranbrook, and contains reading rooms and library. The living is a vicarage in the diocese of Canterbury; net value, £207 with residence. Patron, Viscount Cranbrook. The church was restored in 1862 at a cost of £6000. There are a school-church, a Baptist chapel, and some charities. Hemsted Park, the seat of Viscount Cranbrook, is in the vicinity.