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Matfield is a small village, part of the civil parish of Brenchley and Matfield, in the Tunbridge Wells borough of Kent, England. Matfield was awarded the title of Kent Village of the Year in 2010.[1]
| Matfield | |
|---|---|
 Matfield Post Office | |
  Matfield Location within Kent | |
| OS grid reference | TQ655415 |
| Civil parish | |
| District | |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | Tonbridge |
| Postcode district | TN12 |
| Dialling code | 01892 |
| Police | Kent |
| Fire | Kent |
| Ambulance | South East Coast |
| UK Parliament | |
Buildings and amenities edit
St Luke's Church is a Grade II listed building.
Matfield currently has a butcher's and grocery store. Following the closure of The Wheel Wright's Arms in 2017, the village now only has two pubs, The Star and a gastropub, The Poet at Matfield, which was formerly known as the Standing's Cross. This unusual name lasted for over 150 years from the earliest days of the pub. It was so named as, in the 1840s, John Standing ran an alehouse in his cottage and served his customers homebrew from barrels in his front room. However, he had problems with his cellar which flooded whenever it rained. So, he sold his house and moved across the road into a bakery – converting it into Matfield’s new alehouse. The pub was creatively named to celebrate this event, hence ‘Standing’s Cross’.[2] More recently the pub was renamed to ‘The Poet’ in commemoration of the World War One poet, Siegfried Sassoon, who was born in the village.
Geography edit
Matfield is located around 5 miles (8.0 km) southeast of Royal Tunbridge Wells and 2 miles (3.2 km) south of Paddock Wood.
The village grew up around its village green, which is the largest in Kent.[3] The village green features a large pond at its northern end. Overlooking the green is the grade I listed Matfield House, a Georgian building with a stable block and coachhouse at the rear.[4] The green is used for events such as the annual village fete and by Matfield Cricket Club for home matches.
Notable people edit
- Siegfried Sassoon (1886–1967), poet, was born in Matfield.
- Theresa Thornycroft (1853–1946), sculptor, lived in Matfield.
- Frank Marchant (1864–1946), cricketer and captain of Kent County Cricket Club, born in Matfield House.
- Alan Watt (1907–74), cricketer, lived in Matfield
- Harrison Weir (1824–1906), artist, lived in Matfield.
References edit
- ^ "Matfield is Kent Village of the Year!". Brenchley Parish Council. 16 September 2010. Archived from the original on 12 August 2011. Retrieved 21 March 2011.
- ^ "Standing's Cross". DOVER KENT ARCHIVES. Paul Skelton. Retrieved 8 August 2021.
- ^ "Brenchley & Matfield – Villages in the Weald of Kent". Brenchley Parish Council. Retrieved 21 March 2011.
- ^ Historic England. "MATFIELD HOUSE (1250644)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 16 March 2015.
External links edit
- Matfield
- Matfield House [1]
- Stained Glass Windows at St. Luke, Matfield, Kent
- Pub Restaurant The Poet at Mat field
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