Sevenoaks

GODSTONE
WITH A PICTURE POSTCARD GREEN
Words: Wendy Stevenson
ne of the nicest things about getting the outdoors around Godstone. It is something that are home to a vast array of wild ﬂ owers, these are
O
out into the countryside at this time previous generations growing up in the area would good indicators that the land has been managed in
of year is the evidence of new life have used as a marker for the coming Summer and traditional ways for a very long time; these in turn
everywhere, from spring ﬂ owers in of course the lambs were a welcome addition to the attract butterﬂ ies, insects and birds. Equally modern
the hedgerow to baby lambs and empty coffers of the local farmers. farms provide a bastion against the urban sprawl
calves in the ﬁ elds and on the hills. This headlong The countryside surrounding the village is providing homes for the displaced wildlife.
rush of new life signals the start of one of the busiest spectacular and has changed little over the Godstone lies to the east of Redhill within the
times of year for farmers both now and in times centuries. There are meadows that date from shadow of the North Downs which is in part one
past! Spring is one of the loveliest seasons, it is a medieval times, still traditionally farmed alongside of the reasons for the amazing country views. It is
timely reminder that the weather will again become vast swathes of open countryside. Few of us would also within close proximity to the M25 - one of the
more welcoming (or may just continue going crazy, understand that the open countryside is a result of countries most important arteries. It is this motorway
thanks to climate change), the lambs are jumping more modern farming practice and not a vista that that is occasionally responsible for blighting the area
and the thick layers of clothing start to come off. It people long since gone would have recognised. It when the village becomes a rat run and a means of
is a time when the English countryside comes into is an image that many have sought in their escape escape from one of the many snarl ups that occur on
its own. Seeing young lambs and their mothers in from the conﬁ nes of the city. Both farming methods this over stretched piece of tarmac. It is not a one
the ﬁ elds is an iconic image for everyone enjoying are valuable in conservation terms, the meadows way street however because the very existence of
the M25 has swelled the village population because
the City of London and the South coast are now
within easy reach!
The small settlement developed into the village
that we now know at a meeting point of two
main roads: the Guildford to Maidstone road
(A25) and London to Eastbourne ( A22). This was
incidental and not deliberate, the roads being no
more than dirt tracks when the settlement known as
‘Wachelestede’ came into being. Under this name it
is recorded in the Domesday Survey of 1086 as the
property of Count Eustace. The name of the village
has suffered from a few changes; ‘Walkingstead’
or ‘Walkhampstead’, the ﬁ rst part of the name may
reﬂ ect a personal name and the later refer to the
process of treading or ‘walking’ cloth in vats of
fuller’s earth and water to remove the natural oils
10 | MARCH ISSUE
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