Sevenoaks

SEAL
A UNIQUE VILLAGE
Words: Wendy Stevenson
strange comparison but think about it? A committed eclectic building that give Seal its very individuality!
A
group of buildings and a church
may constitute a village but in truth wine enthusiast will wax lyrical about a quality wine A unique village steeped in history, yet a village
a village as it grows assumes an at its very peak. where the present is very much alive and the future
identity of its own. A village takes Complex and yet subtle the wine is enhanced perpetually evolving
on the very soul of the humans that by time, its maturity brings forth a mellowness and Seal sits on the Old Saxon road from Maidstone
love and care for the place. To the people who live dignity that stands alone. Contrast that with a fresh to Winchester which still carries heavy trafﬁ c despite
in Seal it goes far deeper than what is immediately young wine or in this case a new housing estate, the construction of the M26. Located in a valley
apparent on the surface. The roots of Seal’s very everything packed in and yet no real depth. Quality between the North Downs and the Greensand
existence stretch back into a long distant past, unlike can be very difﬁ cult to achieve in something so Ridge, it is surrounded on three sides by agricultural
humans the village has aged gracefully and the young. As they slowly gain maturity some go through or wooded land with a very narrow gap separating
buildings have acquired a patina that only age can a difﬁ cult spell almost like teenagers, some estates the village from Sevenoaks. The whole area lies
give. will deteriorate and sink into mediocre oblivion within the Green Belt and is an Area of Outstanding
An historic village like Seal in many ways where as others even a small amount of decay in Natural Beauty. The settlement grew up around the
resembles a ﬁ ne aged wine. The buildings have many ways increases the charm. I daresay if we 600 yr old church of St Peter and St Paul around
mellowed and gained a maturity that cannot be travelled back in history even Seal would have its a village green of which only two small green
found in new estates no matter how hard the moments when it wasn’t quite so visually appealing fragments remain. The most eye-catching building
architects try to assimilate their designs into the but that is very far from the thoughts of the many is known as the “Grumbles”. Don’t be fooled by
immediate surroundings. I know that it seems a visitors who gaze at the wonderful haphazard mix of the old timbers these were part of a 16th century
makeover, the house was a place of rest for 14th
century pilgrims. Seal is lucky enough to have sixty
two “listed buildings” in the old centre.
To the casual visitor Seal might seem as though
stuck in a time warp. On the surface it seems
little changed from when it primarily housed poor
agricultural workers whose homes are now much
sought after by afﬂ uent city workers.
It was a busy village in Tudor times, and still is,
attracting visitors from far ﬂ ung places keen to see
the tapestry of building styles. Houses, shops and
other businesses comfortably mingle, making a
16 | MARCH ISSUE
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