Town Profile
Welcome to WESTERHAM
Dawn Kingsford has been finding out about the fascinating history of Westerham and what it has to offer today’s visitor.
Could there be something in the water at Westerham? Well, looking at the string of famous personalities that hail from these parts, one could be inclined to agree.
Not only is the charming town the source of the River Darent, but the birthplace, home and resting place of some of the key figures from British history, from William Pitt, to murderer Ruth Ellis, General James Wolfe and, of course, Winston Churchill. Indeed, sculptures of both military masterminds share a place in the town square.
But Westerham’s illustrious past is only part of the appeal of this market town, nestling not far from Sevenoaks.
Based around a green, Westerham boasts some of the finest walking trails in the county, being close to both the Greensand Way and the North Downs Way and, if it’s shopping you’re after, the High Street, with its range of quirky,
independent shops, is also the venue for its popular farmers’ market.
Unusual, too, is the number of fine National
Images: Main picture - Westerham High Street; Right - Chartwell © The National Trust - Chris Lacey; Bottom left - Squerryes Court
Trust properties in and around the town that provide fantastic places to visit, which is rather appropriate as the organisation’s co-founder Octavia Hill is buried in Westerham.
Among these stately homes is Winston Churchill’s life-long love, his family home of Chartwell; Quebec House, the childhood home of General James Wolfe and a short distance away, the Trust’s Emmetts Gardens at Ide Hill.
In the town itself you’ll also find Charts
Edge Gardens and the fantastic Squerryes Court, which, while closed to the public, is now a commercial vineyard, producing triple award- winning sparkling wine from Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier from grapes grown on the Squerryes Estate.
Mid Kent Living 21
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