Heard it on the grapevine
Kent Life|October 2020
It’s several miles from the coast but was once a powerful maritime town. Now considered the heart of the English wine industry, we take a tour of Tenterden
Caroline Read
Heard it on the grapevine

HISTORY

The story of Tenterden goes back many centuries but it first gained notoriety as a port and centre of trade and shipbuilding in the 14th century. Quite a surprise, considering visitors to the Wealden town today would be hard pressed to find a waterway. Once set on a wide part of the River Rother, flowing into the nearby sea, the town was left landlocked long ago.

Nicknamed the ‘Jewel of the Weald’, this area has been considered well-to-do since the Middle Ages, when it was the centre of the lucrative local wool trade. It was so important that it became part of the confederation of Cinque Ports in the 1400s, and as such became more powerful still.

Tenterden escaped much of the development that expanded many of our other Kentish towns and visitors come simply to marvel at its beauty. It’s known for its many white weather-boarded buildings and its heritage railway.

The 12th-century St Mildred’s Church is not to be missed, and a stroll along the wide, tree-lined High Street is like stepping back in time. And for more historical architecture, don’t miss the Town Hall, erected in the late 1700s.

Famous former residents include Victorian stage actress Dame Ellen Terry and pioneering printer William Caxton (see also page 28). The town’s archive contains a book Caxton published in 1482. A translation of a Latin book called Polychronicon, it was the first book to be published in English in the country.

The late great Sir Donald Sinden lived in Wittersham and the theatre in the grounds of Homewood School at Tenterden was named the Sinden Theatre in 2004.

BEST BITS

Diese Geschichte stammt aus der October 2020-Ausgabe von Kent Life.

Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.

Diese Geschichte stammt aus der October 2020-Ausgabe von Kent Life.

Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.

WEITERE ARTIKEL AUS KENT LIFEAlle anzeigen
The choice of leaders
Kent Life

The choice of leaders

It’s a small, scenic Kentish market town on the border with Surrey, famous for not one but two great leaders. We take a look around Westerham

time-read
5 Minuten  |
November 2020
The eco-warriors
Kent Life

The eco-warriors

Awarded a Queen’s Anniversary Prize in 2019 in recognition of its research in global nature conservation, the role of Kent-based DICE has never been more relevant

time-read
7 Minuten  |
November 2020
Kent's most CURIOUS MONUMENTS
Kent Life

Kent's most CURIOUS MONUMENTS

Our county can boast some of the most celebrated and downright unusual protected mouments in the country

time-read
6 Minuten  |
November 2020
Ghosts of a river's life
Kent Life

Ghosts of a river's life

Kent Life discovers an an other-worldliness about the marshes, creeks, and saltings of the lower reaches of the river Medway

time-read
5 Minuten  |
November 2020
The return of the son
Kent Life

The return of the son

The Unknown Warrior’s journey from the World War One battlefields via Dover to his resting place in Westminster Abbey is 100 years old this month

time-read
5 Minuten  |
November 2020
We will remember
Kent Life

We will remember

In a year when we got an inkling of what living through a war means, we remember the 75th anniversary of the end of the Great War

time-read
6 Minuten  |
November 2020
Age-old advice
Kent Life

Age-old advice

Just become a grandparent for the first time? Perhaps you need a little guidance, so here are some top tips about how to embrace your new family role

time-read
3 Minuten  |
November 2020
10 GOOD REASONS TO VISIT Medway Towns
Kent Life

10 GOOD REASONS TO VISIT Medway Towns

A vast Dockyard, a Napoleonic fort and a JCB diggers theme park - let’s visit Chatham and Medway

time-read
4 Minuten  |
November 2020
KENT'S CREEPIEST- GHOST STORIES
Kent Life

KENT'S CREEPIEST- GHOST STORIES

Here are 10 tales to make you shiver as we celebrate All Hallows’ Eve

time-read
7 Minuten  |
October 2020
Joking apart
Kent Life

Joking apart

From his home in Broadstairs, Royston Robertson comes up with satirical, topical and sometimes just plain silly cartoons

time-read
5 Minuten  |
October 2020